As Rumors Have It
by The Maiden of Autumn
Summary: There exists a world where dragons do roam, possessing humanoid forms as well as dragon. These dragons live in parks, living as they wish in harmony. In one certain park, Light th Bravehearted is a famous wind dragon- though he's the only one. But that's until King Watari brings back a certain black egg. Turns out... maybe he won't be alone for much longer. Dragon AU. LightxL


Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing.

…This. This is the sole reason I should not play games of any type. This _hideously_ long, _pointless_ one-shot is the reason that I should stick to games like Rummy or Cribbage and spare myself the need to write the plot bunnies that pop up into my head.

…And it's even sadder that it was a stupid little game called Tap Dragon Park that inspired this. Friend downloaded it onto my phone during a road trip when she was bored and her own phone was dead and I was being "unentertaining." She then forced me to play the idiotic thing after I made fun of her for it, and then I was like... _Oh. Dragons. _

Fuck.

And that, my dear readers, was my breaking point. I'm done. If you shall need me, I shall be over here, curled up in my emo corner, in a little ball, wallowing in the knowledge that I am pathetic.

And, special thanks to EveningBlack for helping out with aspects of this story. And for providing support when 15,000 words of this was deleted by accident and had to be rewritten, all of which was done yesterday. Thank you, my love. I shall dedicate this to you.

* * *

There exists a world where dragons exist in peaceful harmony with humans, fighting off trolls, being trained by wizards, and lazing about in absolute bliss all day. These unique dragons live in parks, and all are diverse in regards to what element they're born with, and their appearance.

These dragons have two forms; that of their reptilian-like form, and that of a humanoid. Their humanoid forms possess some of their traits, such as coloring, in order to discern them from other dragon humanoids and humans.

Some are mixable with each other; these special dragons are capable of both carrying and inseminating other dragons, no matter what gender they predominately are. They are a sort of androgynous hermaphrodite, as mixable dragons have no true gender; only in appearance do they appear male and female. They are highly coveted, as they can be mixed with other mixable dragons, or even a non-mixable one, and their hatchlings are always unique-sometimes in the possession of an element no other dragon has held before.

Dragon eggs are relatively easy to get ahold of; the dragons shed a few scales every day that are worn down, and can be sold for gold at the market, or exchanged for dragon eggs. Scales are very valuable, as they are used by alchemists to create magical potions, and are willing to pay a high amount of gold for scales.

The king of their park was very well off, and was able to buy many high-class dragons to protect his park and collect scales from. However, he did have a troll problem- the park was situated in a prime position, but unfortunately, a place where many trolls lived.

One day, the king was at the market when he came across a dragon breeder that had a very rare dragon egg available- a wind dragon egg. Not possessing any wind dragons as of yet, the king jumped at the chance and bought the egg- the egg of Light the Bravehearted, son of Soichiro the Adamant and Sachiko the Fearless.

It took a few days for Light's egg to hatch, as it was just recently laid, but when the egg did hatch, the little cinnamon-eyed, amber dragon with four wings, two on his back and two more on his hips, was immediately put into training.

As it turns out, Light's name wasn't misleading. He excelled in all his training, and went on to become an extremely powerful wind dragon, never losing a single battle against a troll.

And, as the king later found out, to his joy, Light was mixable. However, the dragon absolutely refused to mix with any dragon- male or female. Dragons that weren't compatible with each other could not produce hatchlings, even if they did mix.

The king was greatly dismayed, as he had hoped to be able to mix Light to get another wind-based dragon. However, another chance soon came when, perusing the markets one day, he saw a little egg, shoved off to the corner…

* * *

"How much for that egg?" King Watari pointed to the little gleaming, obsidian-colored dragon egg pushed off to the side, forgotten in favor of other, larger eggs with signs proclaiming their superior pedigrees to potential buyers.

The owner of the stall, (not a private breeder, but a common trader of eggs) turned to the king, following the direction of the stately man's finger. Seeing which egg the king was pointing at, the trader frowned. "Your Majesty, that is a common egg- the parents are unknown, and judging by the size of it, it is most likely a dragon of a lower class, not fit to grace your park. If you would like, I have an egg here whose lineage is traced all the way back to Yoile the Sharp, a rather intelligent-"

"No," Watari shook his head. He had a feeling about that little unknown egg- and his feelings were rarely wrong. And for some reason, this feeling had drawn his gaze and interest to that little black egg. "I wish to see that egg."

Shutting his mouth, the trader retrieved the little egg from the corner it had rolled into, displeasure in his every movement. Why King Watari, owner of one of the most prestigious parks in the land wished to look at an egg that was barely worth his own time, a common trader, was beyond him. Still, he did as the king asked, handing it to Watari with none of the gentle care he showed to the better eggs.

The king ignored the trader, more intent on the way the egg felt in his hand. It felt…right, almost as if he had been searching for something, and he had found it. The egg was cold, but this didn't worry him- ice dragon eggs were much, much colder than this, he had found. In fact, the energy being subtly emitted from this egg was much more…turbulent, almost as if the energy couldn't decide on what to do.

Smiling a bit down at the egg, Watari cradled it closer, the feeling the egg in his hands gave him making him happy. Instantly deciding, the king looked up at the waiting trader, drew out a pouch of scales, and tossed it at him. "For the egg, which I'll be taking with me," he told the flabbergasted trader. "I've found I've taken a liking to it."

"But-But, Your Majesty, that egg is not- the egg- Your Majesty!" The overwhelmed trader cried out, trying to get King Watari's attention, not believing that the king had paid this much- 30 scales!- for a little unknown egg.

However, it was useless- the stately man was lost in the crowd, and so the confused trader simply stood there, watching as the king disappeared with the prize he had found.

Looking down at the egg and ignoring the common trader yelling behind him, King Watari cradled the little egg closer, feeling as if it was infinitely precious. "I did the right thing by you, I think," Watari whispered. "Make me proud."

* * *

Light the Bravehearted had always been a curious dragon. It was part of his nature; he feared nothing, so he was not afraid to explore, no matter the potential possible dangers. This had not changed when he had matured into a fully-fledged dragon, and still loved exploring, flying high above the land to get to places unseen. And as wind was his element, manipulating the winds and clouds as he desired was as natural as breathing to him.

For today, though, he was on the ground, wandering the park. There had been a report of an influx in troll activity, and he didn't want to be too far away in case an attack occurred.

Still, he was bored, even if the wind dragon didn't let it show on his face.

Truth be told, he was somewhat fed up with the humans and dragons here. There were plenty of earth dragons, many water dragons, a few fire dragons, and two lightning dragons, but no other wind dragons. Light was damned lonely, not having a single dragon sharing his element that he could converse with.

And the humans could get annoying. He had long ago realized that as a humanoid, even possessing his draconic traits, he was still considered handsome by human women. And his status as a fully-fledged, high- class wind dragon gave him an almost celebrity-like status among humans and dragons alike.

But even realizing this, he still hated it. So to avoid any talking, he was slipping along the sidewalks in his long, lithe dragon form, humans and dragons in both forms giving him room to do so.

He did a few rounds of the park, slipping into the treasure room to make sure everything was okay, and was actually just heading out for the second time when excited shouts from the gate drew his attention.

As mentioned before, Light was an innately curious dragon, and so was unable to help but approach the gates, growling in anger as he realized that it was too packed to move in anything other than his humanoid form.

Seething, Light immediately phased to his humanoid form, glowing and shrinking, his serpentine body becoming upright and his wings shifting around on his body.

Light in his humanoid form was an imposing sight; nearing 6 feet of long, lithe muscle, with four feathery wings, piercing cinnamon eyes, and layered, caramel-colored hair that fell almost to his shoulder blades and seemed to always be moving in a wind only felt by him. His black horns were also present, sprouting just above his forehead and pointing straight back, about a foot long, and his long snakelike tail with golden, feathery appendages on the end lashed back and forth, a testament to his irritation.

The telltale glow of a dragon phasing caught most people's attention and seeing just which dragon it was made them move immediately out of his way.

Pleased at the new situation, Light immediately started moving towards the front of the crowd, at the gate. Over the shorter human's heads, he could already see a few dragons in their humanoid forms there. Matsuda the Busy, he saw was there; the twitchy, bee-like dragon was hovering next to his partner, Mikami the Loyal. Matsuda, while in his dragon form, was a small dragon, so he was able to stay in his draconian form, but Mikami, being larger, was not. The humanoid form of the black dragon was slim, taller than Light, and while not rippling with muscles, was still intimidating. Spikes trailed down both sides of his face next to his nose, three pointing up from two rows on the top of his head and poking through his clothing, continuing down his back and poking out of his clothes.

When humanoids shifted, their scales transformed with them into clothes, each unique to their coloring and style. Mikami himself was dressed in a fitted, long-sleeved black tunic, belted at the waist with tighter pants tucked into short black boots.

Light was dressed less casually, in a crimson, long-sleeved tunic with black lacing up the front under a long, amber-gold two-tailed coat, with black pants tucked into high black boots. He usually kept his coat slightly buttoned up, and had a scarf and gloves hanging out of his pockets, in case he took to the skies when in his humanoid form.

His dragon form, being a wind element, had a natural protection to the harsh winds and cold temperatures that he was able to traverse thanks to his element, but his humanoid form had less protection. Normal dragons didn't go as high as he did, unable to control and ride the winds as he was able to, so they had no need for the extra protection in the warmer, slower winds they typically flew in.

Thus the reason he wore warmer, more covering clothes in his humanoid form than other dragons.

Plus, they made him look classy.

Light saw a few more dragons making their way to the gates, but as the two earth dragons were the closest, he approached them first to see what the commotion was all about.

"Mikami, Matsuda," he addressed them in his melodic tenor, stepping forwards, arms crossed. "What's all this commotion about?"

Matsuda, being the twitchy dragon that he was, jumped at the sudden appearance of the wind dragon behind them, shooting up a few feet in the air. Mikami, however, being the calmer of the two simply turned his tall body to allow Light to step closer and better speak to the other humanoid. "King Watari is approaching, back from his week-long trip," Mikami spoke in his soft, deep voice. "Word is, he bought another egg, but it's not confirmed."

That made Light perk up in both interest and slight apprehension. While it was always a good thing to add another dragon to the park, at the same time, the wind dragon knew King Watari had wanted to mix him with another dragon. Could this be an attempt to find a dragon for him to mix with?

If so, then Light would need to politely inform the king he had no intention of mixing with another dragon- such things held no interest for him. He was more interested in traversing the winds and fighting off trolls than worrying about finding a partner to mix with.

"King Watari!"

Light lifted his head to see the stately form of the king making his way up the hill, something wrapped in cloth cradled in his arms.

"So the rumor was true," Light mused to himself.

Footsteps were detected behind him, and a second later, a high, feminine voice spoke. "I suppose it is," Takada the Pampered spoke from behind him.

Light grimaced. While Takada was a lighting dragon, and her status in battles and training were to be admired, he personally felt no respect for her. Her name was no mislabel; the blue-scaled dragon was lazy and pampered, never doing any more work that she had to. It was a mystery as to how she had passed the training classes and matured to a fully-fledged dragon.

Still, he was Light the Bravehearted, and being polite and refined came along with the title.

So, fixing his face into a pleasant, if somewhat apathetic smile, he turned and greeted her, taking in the sight of the female dragon in her humanoid form. No matter how much Light disliked her, he had to admit, she was quite the beautiful dragoness. There was no sight of blemishes on her pale skin, and the electric- yellow streaks on the side of her face only served to accentuate her beauty.

Her yellow, spiraled horns gleamed in the sunlight, and the little crackles of electricity that seemed to surround her gave her an eye-catching aura. "Hello, Takada. You look quite lovely today," he said smoothly.

In return, she smiled slyly at him, showing off her razor-sharp teeth. "Keep talking like that, Light, and you might be giving my partner a run for his money," she said, winking. Light shuddered in disgust.

Dragons partnered for life, and to even suggest infidelity… it was disgusting and wrong.

Luckily, Light wasn't forced to respond, because just then a fanfare went off, signaling the arrival of King Watari.

Sighing in relief, Light turned away, attempting to get closer to the king. With all the trolls around, he needed to make sure the gate was closed and locked shut and that King Watari was not harmed in any way.

The mass of people moved to get out of his way as he flared his wings in warning, wordlessly telling them to move.

When he finally did get to the front of the crowd, Light saw King Watari conversing with the female wizard Linda and the wizard trainer Roger. Halle the Idyllic, a sweet little female earth dragon was there as well, listening intently to what they were saying.

Roger had the cloth-wrapped egg in his hands, and was just unwrapping it as Light approached.

"…good that you wrapped this in the energy-blocking cloth I prepared. Dragon eggs give off energy that trolls would have immediately locked onto, and then you would have been in trouble. What type is this dragon, Your Majesty?"

"I don't know," the king admitted. "To be honest, it was more of an impulse buy. I'm not sure what possessed me to buy this egg, only that I felt I needed to."

The king's words had the old wizard pausing in unwrapping the egg to stare incredulously at their king. "You didn't ask? And there was no sign stating its credentials? Your Majesty, this could be an ostrich egg magicked to seem like a dragon egg, for all you knew!"

"Roger, calm down," Linda said calmly. "The king has had enough experience to be able to tell the difference between a fake egg and a real egg. I'm sure it's fine."

Just then, the king caught sight of Light out of the corner of his eye, and smiled. Light was one of his best dragons, and he had never regretted buying the dragon, even if he was disappointed that the wind dragon wasn't able to mix with any others. "Light!" he called, waving the golden dragon over from where the reptile was standing, uncertain if he should approach and interrupt.

Seeing the king's gesture, he immediately came over.

Halle watched Light, secretly admiring the renowned wind dragon. When he walked, the dragon just seemed to _glide_- almost as if there was a wind supporting him from underneath, making his every movement graceful and smooth.

She wasn't jealous of the wind dragon and she was still too young to be partnered with anyone, so she knew romantic thoughts about the wind dragon were useless. She more admired him, almost as if one would admire a very fine piece of art, or perhaps a sculpture.

That being so, she greeted the wind dragon with a warm smile when he came over, having to tilt her head up to get a good look at his face when he got closer. She wasn't fully trained and matured yet, so her form was still that of a girl when in her humanoid form. "Hello, Light," she greeted him warmly.

And Light smiled back. This little earth dragon, unlike Takada, was someone he did like- the girl was so warm and caring, it was hard to dislike her. It was a pity he wasn't mixable with this dragon- she would have made a fine partner, if he were. "Good day, Halle, and to you too, wizards Linda and Roger. And welcome back, King Watari," he said politely. "I trust your trip went well?"

King Watari smiled happily. "It indeed went well, although I'm happy to be home." Then, the king got a speculative look in his eye. "Roger, let Light take a look at that egg. Who knows- maybe he'll be able to tell what it is, or at least its lineage."

Roger nodded, giving the cloth-wrapped egg to Light, who grasped it in his clawed hands, the tips and claws of his fingers red like his appendages were in his dragon form.

Dragons, with their high sensitivities to energy and ability to pass knowledge about their element and the history of the dragons that came from their element, were able to tell if an egg was based on their element, and if so, what dragons the egg was from.

Carefully, Light snagged the cloth and slid it off of the egg, handing the magicked square back to Roger, who tucked it in his pocket, ready to give to the king when he went on another trip.

As soon as the cloth was removed, the ink-black egg was revealed- and Light frowned as the energy signal, no longer blocked by the magic of the cloth, was felt. Halle frowned as well as she felt the energy, and the three humans with them waited.

The egg felt confusing, Light thought, trying to figure out the energy. It was almost as if- "…the energy is sending out mixed signals…" he said out loud.

"What?" Linda asked.

Light blinked, not realizing he had spoken aloud, then realizing what he had done, tried to clarify. "When a dragon lays their egg, they usually are already in a safe spot, where they do not feel threatened and the hatchling is safe. They do not have to worry about the energy signals the egg is sending out. However, there's a legend…it's told that if the dragon is threatened while laying an egg- the mother could not get to a safe spot, or the egg is coming prematurely, so there was no time to get to one and the energy signals the egg sends out would draw unwanted attention to it- the mother could distort the magic of the egg to give off a fake, undeterminable signal," he explained.

The wizards listened, fascinated by this, as they had never heard of this before, Then again, they had never had an egg do this before, so there was no need to know. "But," Light continued, "I've heard it was a myth- I've never actually seen it done, much less held any kind of evidence myself…" he trailed off, gazing at the egg.

"It's very possible that, judging by the size of this egg, it was a premature lay, and the mother felt threatened enough to be able to perform the magic on the egg. She would have had to be very desperate, though," Halle said softly, drawing the attention to herself, "for the myth also states that the process to do this takes the remaining life energy of the mother herself- a life for a life."

There was silence as this was pondered and Light continued to look down at the egg, feeling a wave of sudden protectiveness rush through him as he cradled it. It seemed so alone, so small and helpless- a prematurely laid egg was never fully developed- something was always wrong with the hatchling.

"Even that being so, the egg needs to be put into the process of being properly hatched," Roger said, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. He reached out his hands to Light, presumably to take the egg. "If you would hand me the egg, I can-"

"No!" Light suddenly said, clutching the egg tighter, for a second not wanting to ever let go of it. The four just stared at him. For Light to be acting like that, it was extremely out of character for the dragon.

And he realized this.

Light froze, stunned at the action he had made without thinking about it.

Desperate, he tried to recover. "I mean, the king has most likely had a long trip, and wishes to converse with his family and wizards- he is most likely to be extremely tired, and Roger and Linda will probably be very busy, so I'll take this egg to the nursery." Then, before he could give them any other reason to wonder at his sudden oddness, he bowed and quickly walked away, hugging the egg subconsciously closer.

Halle, who was confused at first as to Light's odd behavior, smiled suddenly as she figured out what was going on. She was partly wrong, of course, but who could have guessed just what attachment Light would develop towards the egg. "Who would have thought that Light would become so stiff and formal when he gets embarrassed?" she mused out loud.

The king and two wizards turned to the small dragoness, confused. "Whatever do you mean?" Linda questioned.

Halle just laughed. "Light obviously feels protective of that egg, due to its unfortunate circumstances. It's just in his nature to want to protect things- not that he wants to let anyone know that. Light is very kind at heart- he just wants to make sure the egg is safe. The response he gave to you when you tried to reclaim the egg was just his protective instincts flaring up. He was embarrassed by the show of emotion, and that awkwardness was his attempt at covering it up."

The three humans relaxed, their confusion lessened by Halle's wise explanation. "That does make sense," Roger said thoughtfully.

* * *

This… it was utterly ridiculous.

Light was currently staring down at the little egg in its nest in the nursery, watching it intently. It looked so comfortable there in the specially made nest, heated by fire-dragon scales mixed into the soft fluff lining the wooden nest. It was perfectly safe there, with no trolls to threaten it. No reason to worry at all.

Why then, did he feel panic at the thought of leaving it alone?

"Dammit," he muttered, resting his forehead in his hand as he stared down at the little black egg.

He had things to do- winds to ride, patrols to do, and there was a fire troll nest to the east of their park that he needed to take care of- fire was weak against his element, and all the other water dragons were currently dispatched to other places, so he was the only other option.

The egg was safe. He had no reason to panic. He could leave. There were things he had to do, a better use of his time other than stare at that little black egg.

Mind made up, he turned around and shifted back into his dragon form, the nursery being large enough to accommodate his size.

Nodding once to himself, he started to slink out of the nursery, when he stopped and blinked, then slowly turned his neck to look at the egg, regarding it silently for a few moments.

Turning fully about and sitting down on his haunches, he nibbled on his snakelike tongue with a fang as he battled his indecisiveness, growling in displeasure. _Damn it all_, he thought savagely as he continued watching the egg unblinkingly.

This was getting quite ridiculous.

Beyond ridiculous, if one were to ask Light himself.

It was like he was attached to the thing, or something. Sniffing haughtily to himself, he got up and began walking again, when a loud crash from further inside the nursery made him jump into action.

It was pure instinct of course- he didn't really even realize what he was doing.

In a single fluid motion, he had leaped forwards, grabbed ahold of the nest, and dragged it to an empty corner. Grabbing the egg carefully with his teeth, he cradled it gently within his mouth as he curled up into a ball in the corner, wrapping his tail in a circle on his back legs to create a little hole. Then, using his front legs, he ripped apart the nest, grabbing the sticks and placing them carefully in the hole, lining it to create a sturdy bottom. He ignored the soft fluff and warm scales, instead running his agile front leg through a feathery wing in a grooming motion, gathering soft, fluffy feathers and placing them on the sticks, creating a self-made nest.

It took a little rearranging, but once Light was satisfied with the shape of the nest, it was only then that he leaned down and gently placed the egg into the middle of the nest. He made sure it was partially covered with soft feathers, then shifted a bit to fully release the wings that he had been lying on.

Spreading one wing over the nest to keep the egg heated, he contracted his tail slowly until the little black egg was cradled firmly in a nest of twigs and feathers, warmed by his own body heat, kept inside by his wing, and protected by him.

Giving a pleased little dragon smile, he curled his head around the nest as well, huffing a bit as he did so, closing his eyes and rumbling in pleasure.

Now, the egg was safe.

* * *

When Light awoke, he wasn't sure where he was for a moment. For some odd reason, he felt cramped, as if he had been stuffed into an uncomfortable, tight spot.

Shifting a bit, he stopped when he heard the crackling and rustling of wood.

And then, the memories hit him.

Lifting his head up, he removed his wing from the nest to peer in at the little egg cradled in his tail.

What on Earth had possessed him to do something like this? It was damned downright out of character for him!

Glowering a bit, he huffed, a thin trail of cloud coming from his nostrils. This… was ridiculous! He had things to do, things that didn't concern this little egg.

Light started to uncurl his tail, intent on just putting the egg back into a nest that was intact, when voices coming from the doors to the nursery made him turn his head towards the entrance. Pure instinct told him to curl tighter around the egg he protected, and he did, tail tightening to wrap almost fully around it, head lowering to block the egg from sight. Light's lip curled, and he stared unblinkingly at the doors, where the voices were coming from.

He growled, just a small rumbling in his chest to warn intruders off. This egg was his- no one would be allowed to even touch it, save for him.

"…See, Sayu, your egg can be laid here- the nursery was  
built in order to accommodate the females while they incubated the eggs-" Roger, who had been showing the mother-to-be around the nursery, stopped as they entered the incubation room and heard a dragon growling.

"What the…" the wizard and dragoness stopped as they spied the great golden dragon in the corner, curled up and glaring at them with baleful red-tinted eyes, fangs showing and growling warningly.

"Light?" Sayu asked, the aqua-skinned dragoness stepping forward. The growling only increased in volume, but that didn't faze her. As a mother-to-be, she recognized the way Light was curled up, and the distinctive tone to his growl. He was protecting something.

She knew what to do, though, luckily. "Roger," she addressed the stunned wizard, "I want you to stay there. Light's in protective mode- he's not thinking straight, and he could attack you if you don't stay back."

"Protective- what could he be…Oh." The wizard realized, thinking back to yesterday. "Light was acting strange about the egg King Watari brought back. Halle said something about Light wanting to keep it safe…"

Not breaking eye contact with Light, Sayu the Lustrous nodded. "That could be it. Word's already spread about the egg he brought back- everyone knows about the myth that goes along with the story. So, it's no surprise a dragon like Light would want to keep it safe. We're just lucky Magnus didn't get ahold of it- the situation could have been much worse than this."

"Do you know how to snap him out of this?"

Sayu nodded. "Yes. Give me some room, please."

The wizard stepped back, and immediately Sayu phased, her skin glowing as her form stretched and shifted to become a dragon once more. The aqua-skinned dragon with the two antennae-like horns sweeping back from her head stepped forward, folding her scaled, butterfly wings securely behind her.

Sitting back, she waited. Her own egg was already growing in her stomach, and so was sending out the familiar energy signals that only an egg possessed. Light would pick up on that, sensing she was an expectant mother and therefore no threat, and let her come closer. Hopefully, she'd be able to get him to snap out of his protective mode and return to humanoid form, where he was less ruled by his instincts and less likely to attack anyone who came within a few feet of him and the egg he was protecting.

And Sayu was right.

Light perked his head up as the energy from the egg in Sayu's belly reached him and he stopped growling, seeing as how the dragoness near him was not a threat. And that was what broke him from his instinctive thinking.

He froze as he realized what he had been doing. He had been acting like some damned mother or something! Panicking slightly on the inside, he quickly released the egg, letting the nest settle onto the floor while still making sure it wasn't harmed in any way. Then, he stepped away from it, phasing to his humanoid form as he did so, ignoring the part of him that wanted to scoop up the egg and hide it from the world, keep it close and keep it safe.

Sayu phased back as well, facing the now human-looking dragon with her arms crossed. She opened her mouth to say something, but Light spoke first. "I do apologize for my earlier behavior," he said, stiffly, formally. "I'm afraid I was still tired from my nap and not quite in my right mind. If you'll excuse me, I have patrols to run."

He bowed, then started walking away, ignoring the urge to run back to the damned egg. _No, Light, _he told himself,_ ignore it, ignore it. It's not worth your time. It's a little egg that'll have a deformed hatchling in it when it hatches. Not worth your time._

Roger sighed, watching Light leave. Sayu went and picked up the small egg, holding it close. "I wonder what's wrong with Light?" she mused.

The elderly wizard just shook his head. "I do not know. Something in that egg is making Light behave most oddly." He gazed at the black orb cradled by Sayu. "I'm extremely curious to see what happens when it hatches."

* * *

Over the next few days, while the egg was being incubated, Light remained conspicuously absent from the park, either eliminating troll nests, doing patrols, or simple free-flying, high up in the clouds where no other dragon cared to go.

He steadfastly ignored the part of him that wanted to go make sure the egg was okay, make sure it was alright and safe and not crushed by a careless human, or stolen by a troll in a raid, or any other accident that could happen.

The thoughts confused him, though, and as he rested on a distant mountain peak, curled up inside his jacket, (he had taken to using his humanoid form more and more often, as being in his dragon form made him more susceptible to his instincts, and there was no way he was letting what happened with Sayu in the nursery happen again, thank you very much) and staring out into the distance.

He didn't know why he was so concerned about that egg. He had seen hundreds of them before, and they never held any interest for him.

And his mind continued to wander.

What would the hatchling look like, he wondered? It was sure to be some sort of black- his own egg had been a golden amber in color, and all the other dragons' main coloring was that of their egg.

And perhaps it was a fire dragon? That would certainly explain the black, like that of cooled lava, even if it was less of a dull, lava-black and more of the black color stormclouds took while forming on the horizon.

A sudden change in the energy being emitted from his park made his head perk up, his whole body being jolted as if he was stung.

An egg was hatching.

Rapidly counting in his brain, he counted down the days he had been gone, comparing them to the days until his egg-no, dammit, _the _egg- was supposed to hatch, and his breath caught in his throat.

The egg was hatching.

Immediately, he stood up and jumped into the air, phasing into his dragon form in a second. Pumping his wings, he used his powers to control the air around him, urging it into a tailwind that would push him swiftly home.

* * *

Light arrived back at the park, phasing as he ran through the gates and arrived at the nursery just as the nest was being pushed out into the open, to provide better access to the dragons and wizards who came to watch it.

Normal humans were not allowed to watch dragons hatch, as dragons tended to get overly protective of eggs and hatchlings, even if it was not theirs.

Murmurs filled the room as the egg became visible, cracks running through it. Light felt an odd emotion run through him as he pushed his way to the front of the 30 or so dragons there, some in humanoid form like him, others in their dragon form.

_Excitement_, he realized as he found himself finally at the front, only a foot or so away from the egg. _I'm…excited. I want to see what this hatchling is going to look like. _

And underlying that, another emotion… one he couldn't identify, but it made his heart jump into his throat as the cracks grew bigger, the egg starting to tremble.

The murmurs quieted down to the occasional hushed whisper, ones Light's superior hearing picked up easily.

"I wonder if it's male or female…?"

"…That black… it's gotta be some sort of fire dragon."

"Hope it's mixable. Light was already a disappointment to the king in that regard…"

Light's wings twitched irritably at that last comment, but he ignored it in favor of watching with rapt fascination as the first chunk of obsidian egg shell fell off, into the nest.

"It's so small, though."

"Most likely premature. There's gonna be something wrong with the hatchling, poor thing. Premies always come out with something wrong with them."

Light watched, utterly fascinated as the egg gave a final shudder, small chunks of egg dropping off, until a small black blob fell out of the egg and into the nest. There was silence.

Roger rushed forwards, carefully shifting the sharp pieces of egg around to reach into the nest and scoop the black blob into his arms, then staggered backwards under the weight, away from the nest. He knelt down, laying the little hatchling on the floor, taking out his wand and tapping the hatchling's chest with it, murmuring softly under his breath.

Then, something odd happened. Roger frowned.

Light felt his breath catch in his throat at that small gesture. Roger never frowned during a hatching, not unless something went wrong.

Fear flashed through Light- what was going on with the hatchling that had come out of his egg?

"Roger, what is wrong?"

The wizard looked up at the king, who was stepping forwards out of the crowd. He shook his head. "He's not reacting- that energy distortion is still there, and I can't do anything to it. I tried calling different elements to my wand and subjecting the hatchling to them, but nothing works! He won't respond!"

Mogi the Wise stepped forwards, pushing his spectacles up from where they had fallen onto his small, red horn on the bridge of his nose. "Perhaps what is needed is direct contact with the dragon possessing his element. That should create enough of an energy jolt to get him to wake up," the wise dragon said softly.

Roger looked up at the dragon. "That might work," he nodded. Then, raising his voice, he called out, "Please, one dragon from each element come forwards!"

The urgentness of the situation prevented any fighting over who volunteered and the dragons bearing each element came forwards, all from the front row to save time. Light, of course, being the only wind dragon was one of them, and he rushed forwards, kneeling down with the rest of the dragons around the hatchling.

This close to the little hatchling, he could see it was small for its size- most new hatchlings were the size of a small child in humanoid form, and a few feet long and two feet tall in dragon form. The hatchling was a bit smaller than that, but the egg was small as well, so it made sense.

Light couldn't tell if it was a boy or girl- it was too curled up to tell, its head tucked under its arm and wings and tail wrapped tightly around the body. The hatchling was a beautiful inky black, though, the color of dark stormclouds forming in the distance, with the wings being lighter and greyer, like twilight over the mountains, or the soft grey that clouds took on during a heavy rain.

Light was still staring when he was tapped on the shoulder. Blinking, he looked up, seeing the other few dragons that had come forward with him standing up, staring sadly down at the little hatchling.

"Light," Roger said, "you try. I know there's not a very good chance of it being a wind dragon, but there's only two more elements to try out, and there's not a very good chance of it being a water dragon. There's a chance it may be earth based, but..."

"I understand," Light said, understanding the urgency.

All hatchlings were comatose when born, until they come into contact with another dragon bearing their element. Usually it wasn't a problem, as the type of dragon was known in advance and they could make sure that a dragon bearing the element was around.

However, if there was not a dragon around, the hatchling could not be broke out of their comatose state, and if not woken within a few minutes, would not be able to be revived, and die.

Quickly standing up, Light slid closer to the little hatchling and unhesitatingly, reached out and rested his hand on the little black hatchling's shoulder. _Please let this work,_ he thought a second before his hand came into contact with the scaly skin.

For some reason, he was desperate for this to work, for this hatchling to live. He _needed_ this hatchling to live, just as badly as he needed his wings to fly.

Though, there was no time to ponder this level of emotion, for as soon as his hand did come in contact with the hatchling, Light jerked, his eyes opening as wide as they were able to and a small groan being wrenched from his throat as he felt a jolt go through him. At the same time, he felt a feeling, a very certain and undeniable feeling move through him, hit him straight in the heart, sliding and seeping into his mind, solidifying there.

The doors to the nursery slammed open as a sudden ferocious wind blew through the nursery, swirling around the hatchling as the little inky creature shuddered violently, its body wracked by spasms and shudders.

Light wrenched his hand back, staggering back from the hatchling. Immediately, the wind died down, leaving only the loud, confused voices of the dragons behind.

Light, was confused as well, standing back and laying a hand over his heart, where an odd feeling had settled. Frowning, he shook his head. _What the hell was that?_ he thought, puzzled.

For he had no clue what had happened as soon as he touched that little black hatchling. A small squeak from the hatchling drew his attention back to the creature, and all thoughts of the odd feeling that had overtaken him as soon as he had touched the black hatchling were forgotten in favor of watching what was going to happen next.

Transfixed by the small creature, he couldn't do anything but stare as the hatchling shook one final time, as if it was trying to shake the last remaining traces of the coma off of it, and then slowly, ever so slowly, uncurled itself.

Light gasped as the movement also released some of the hatchling's energy into the air- and revealed what the black creature looked like.

It was impossible to tell what it really, really looked like, as its head was covered by a leather flight helmet, eyes by goggles, and had a bright red, cheery scarf wrapped around its neck. Pointed, black-tinged ears with serrated bottoms stuck out from the helmet, and as the hatchling wobbily stood up on all fours, it revealed a sleek, streamlined body with powerful, batlike wings, built especially for cutting through harsh, stormy winds.

And if the appearance was not enough, the energy the dragon was giving off was.

"A wind dragon," Roger breathed. "By god, another wind dragon." His bright blue eyes gleamed as he turned to Light. "A wind dragon… I never thought I'd see the day…"

A glow from behind them prevented Light from talking, and they both turned to see King Watari kneeling next to the hatchling, now in humanoid form as a small boy, around 4 or 5. He wore a simple white shirt over dark blue, loose pants tucked into short brown boots, and his goggles, scarf, and helmet were still safely in place. His wings had drastically shrunk, folded against his back, and his long, smooth tail trailed on the ground, as if he wasn't sure what to do with it. Small claws tipped his black-scaled fingers, and miniature fangs poked out of his pale lips.

There were no spikes anywhere, nothing to intrude with his streamlined form, able to slip and navigate through the complicated, dangerous currents of the higher elevations wind dragons were famous for being able to fly with ease.

King Watari was beaming as he reached out to take the small humanoid's hand, grasping it firmly and standing up, the small boy turning his head this way and that, most likely taking in the new world around him. "Dragons, please welcome our second wind dragon to the park!"

There was a moment of stunned silence before the king's words sunk in, and then there was immediately a loud cheer that went out. Immediately, the king trend to Roger, still smiling down at the boy. "We need to start training him right away- all the others can wait, and a habitat needs to be built- find out what he likes, and…"

Light, though, still standing where he was before, blocked all this out, the king's words leaving him stunned. Another wind dragon.

He wasn't alone anymore.

"Light!" The calling of his name made him lift his head, gazing hollowly at the king, his mind not really there.

Still, he obeyed his king's summons and went over, tilting his head to show that he was listening. "Light, we have another wind dragon! Introduce yourself to him; I'm sure once he's fully trained, you two'll be going on many missions together!" Watari said, an excited glint to be seen in his eyes.

Automatically, Light turned and looked down towards the boy that was staring at him through the goggles, he knew, even if he couldn't see it for himself. Impulsively, he knelt down, trying to see past the thick glass of the goggles that covered the small humanoid's eyes.

"I'm Light the Bravehearted," he finally said quietly, still trying to wrap his head around the sudden arrival of another wind dragon and trying to figure out what had happened when he woke this small dragon up.

It was not odd for a dragon to be born with accessories such as this- their personalities, looks, and powers developed while still in the egg, and he knew various dragons that had been born with such accessories- everything from crowns, earrings, an inner tube, a sword- many such things.

He could feel the gaze of the other dragon upon him, inquisitive and curious. "I'm the other wind dragon- it's just you and me. For now," he added impulsively, starting to wonder why he had said it even as it came out of his mouth. He never planned on mixing, and even if this other wind dragon was mixable, there was no way to be certain that the hatchling that came out of that union would result in another wind dragon.

Still, he forgot about any awkwardness as the hatchling nodded and reached out to take his gloved, red- claw tipped hand.

Light felt the connection that their elements formed as soon as they touched, and his eyes grew large as he felt the level of pure intimacy that came with the joining of their elements. As the only other wind dragon in this area, he had never been able to experience this before, although all the other dragons, with their more common elements, were able to.

It was a shocking experience, one that almost overwhelmed him. The wind energy flowing between them formed a connection, and from that, Light was able to tell the hatchling's name and his lineage.

Reopening eyes that he hadn't remembered closing and lowering the head he didn't remember tilting back, he let a small smile flirt at the edges of his lips as he stared at the goggles, trying to peer through them into the eyes lying within. "Welcome to King Watari's park," Light said, smiling. "Lawliet the Turbulent."

* * *

A few years passed by, and to the little hatchling that had been named Lawliet the Turbulent, (though he went around as simply "L" to most everyone) those years flew by in a rush. As the only other wind dragon in residence at King Watari's park, he had quickly achieved something of a celebrity status, much like the other wind dragon.

L sighed as he shifted his body, huddling closer into the clouds that lined his habitat. Roger had been kind enough to make his habitat consist solely of cool, white, solid clouds that he could shape and mold to his pleasing. He could make the cloud form a nest for nighttime, or a firmer base for just lounging about.

His name was Lawliet the Turbulent, and his title was no misnomer. His specialty was flying the dangerous storms, cutting through and gliding on the swirling, rough winds, letting the winds, sleet, snow and hail slide off him as he soared through them, riding out the winds no other dragon could.

He was built and born for it- and he loved it.

His daring and skill had made him famous in his park and other parks as well, and was treated especially well by all the other dragons, who admired him.

Except for the fact that he really didn't care about those things.

L's aspiration was to finish his training and become able to finally go on missions as a fully-fledged dragon. And speaking of training…

He shivered a bit in excitement as he thought about training. His last training session before he became a fully-fledged dragon and was able to appear as an adult in both dragon and humanoid form was today. After his training session today, there would be a small, private ceremony with just him, King Watari, and the dragon trainer Wizard Linda, the woman whom had taken over Roger's training position when he had become too busy to continue the last year.

At that thought, L finally had enough ambition to get up, but not before looking down at his small, teenage body in disgust. Many of the dragons at the park were already fully trained and grown, and the few that were not were younger and less trained than him, and yet, he was smaller.

But then again, he had been told his egg had been lain prematurely, so he understood, even if he resented having to look up to meet the younger dragons' eyes.

Finally getting up, L shook the last few remaining wisps of solid cloud off of his body before raising his wings and propelling himself out of his habitat, his streamlined body giving him a speed that others were hard-pressed to match.

Shooting out of his habitat, he didn't slow down, but instead shot straight up into the air, heading to the training center located in a little niche in the corner of the park. It was out of the way and rather secluded, a safety precaution so nothing got destroyed and no one injured if a dragon lost control.

L relished in the feel of the warm breeze billowing under his wings, elated at the prospect of finally finishing his training.

It didn't take him more than a minute by flying to spot the training center, and dipping his body and pulling his right wing in, he went into a deep, swooping dive, banking left while dropping to land in front of the training center elegantly, as he had done so many times before.

He phased as soon as he reached the ground, into his humanoid form of a teenager dressed in slightly raggedy pants, a jacket and boots, and of course, his trademark helmet, goggles and scarf that he was never seen without.

In fact, no one even knew what his face, hair color, or eyes looked like, as they were always covered by his headgear whenever he bothered to change into humanoid form, which he did rarely. He preferred his dragon form, as he could take to the skies any time he pleased without worrying about phasing.

And, it was difficult to converse with other humans while in dragon form, which L thought was fortunate. It gave him an excuse to remain silent when other dragons would otherwise want to make useless small talk, which he detested with a passion.

Personality-wise, L the Turbulent fit his title. He was as cold as the storms he rode, and as unreachable as the dark, swirling clouds that hovered just overhead when a thunderstorm brewed. He rarely said anything, and to get more than just a polite greeting out of him was something truly rare.

For the most part, people admired him from afar, mostly leaving the reclusive dragon alone. L preferred this, though. He had no time for the idle chitchat that occupied the other dragon's time, preferring to spend his days either training or flying the storms that blew through more frequently since he had been born.

The training center was an open clearing surrounded by a large wooden fence, 15 feet high, and twin stone gates allowed access into it, which L went through now.

Due to the implications this day had, L was expecting the center to be empty. For a dragon to complete his or her training, they had to undergo a grueling, day- long exam that tested endurance, patience, stamina, fitness, and most importantly, control over the element they wielded. L, though, was confident.

He had already gone through a few mock exams that, while they weren't nearly the level of difficulty this day's exam would bring, were still close. He had passed through them easily with flying colors.

And since the exams encompassed every part of the training they went through over the course of the years, it used every part of the space available in the training center, thus the reason L had expected it to be empty. It was not, though.

Wizard Linda stood in the middle of the training center, arms crossed as she faced a tall, humanoid dragon with his back to the gates. From this distance, though, he could easily tell whose caramel hair and long, two- tailed coat that belonged too.

The other resident wind dragon, Light the Bravehearted.

By the look on Rem's face, she was clearly arguing with the respected golden dragon- and it looked to be a serious one, too. Quietly, as befitted a wind dragon that could glide soundlessly across the ground on a wave of wind, L crossed the training center to catch the tail end of the argument.

"…Won't know until later tonight, Light. Besides, why are you so worried?" Linda was saying.

Then, the smooth, melodic tenor of the wind dragon's voice came. "I simply don't want the same pressure that was once put onto me placed on him. I would wish that on no one, Linda. If the time does come-"

Light cut off as he saw Rem's eyes travel over his shoulder and he turned as well to see the slender form of L standing behind them. His arms were folded and the slender dragon was undoubtedly staring at them with an emotionless expression, judging by what could be seen of what little face was not covered by his headgear.

Linda blinked and then smiled, pushing away thoughts of the argument she had been having with Light. "L, it's good to see you here right away. As soon as I finish with Light-"

"No need, Linda," Light interrupted suddenly, eyes darkening and becoming shuttered. "There was nothing more to discuss," he said, turning away from the other wind dragon, a breeze ruffling his hair and stirring up the dust at his feet in what seemed to be a fit of- agitation? "I was finished speaking."

His eyes traveled to L, and he smiled, although there was still a glimpse of some odd, unsettling emotion present in Light's cinnamon eyes. "Good luck today, L," he said, walking forward to clap the shorter dragon on the back. "I know you'll do well today."

"Thank you, Light," L replied emotionlessly. Light ignored the tone; L was like that to everyone, so it didn't offend him. Instead, he gave the black dragon a vague, polite smile and glided away, feet not seeming to touch the ground at all.

When Light was finally through the gates, he sighed. After all these years of not taking notice of the hatchling, why was L suddenly taking up all of his attention?

After the dragon had hatched, the feeling he got while touching the small hatchling had faded until Light took no note of it, mainly forgetting about the other wind dragon in favor of vanquishing trolls, exploring, and running patrols.

The few times he had chanced upon the small form of L, nothing had happened, no feelings stirred and he had simply nodded at the black wind dragon and went on his way, not giving the hatchling another thought.

Now, though, for some reason, he found himself wandering the same paths L had, following his energy signal without realizing it, and his eyes kept lingering for a second too long when the hatchling caught his eye.

It was maddening, and Light had no idea as to why this was happening.

Sighing and then shaking his head, Light straightened up. Whatever.

He had things to do, things that didn't involve L the Turbulent.

He'd return to the matter of the black dragon later, after he'd had time to think over it.

* * *

L alighted on the ground, a shimmer of white light enveloping him as he phased back to his humanoid form. Wizard Linda was running towards him from the other side of the training yard, beaming.

"That was most excellent, L!" she exclaimed. "Perfect marks on all aspects of the exams- I doubt even Light could have done better, don't you agree, Mogi?"

The red-horned earth dragon looked up from the journal he was writing L's results in, pushing up his slipping glasses. "Correct, Linda," the earth dragon said in his quiet voice. "Not many are able to get full marks on their exam- only 6 others have been able to do so, I believe."

"Right," Linda said, still beaming. "I just… L, your training is complete! I knew this day would come, but… still!" she babbled, before taking a deep breath to calm herself down, although an excited spark still gleamed within her eyes. "L… I guess… it's time for your Maturing Ceremony!"

Her eyes took on a faraway look as she mused, "I wonder what you'll look like as an adult… No," she said, shaking her head. "Time for that later. Right now, it's time for you to go to the palace! King Watari and Queen Elizabeth have already set up the ceremony; just think, not too long before you're going to be an adult!"

Even as she spoke, Linda started walking towards the gates, Mogi following silently behind, and L forced to follow as well.

* * *

It was not much later that L found himself at the palace with the royal family, Wizard Linda, and Mogi, all awaiting Linda to begin the ceremony.

L stood upon the upraised dais, Linda standing before him and holding the scroll that would complete the training contract he had entered into in order to allow Linda to train him, and with the completion of his training, would allow him to become an adult dragon.

The king and queen, along with Mogi the Wise, who was the appointed record, book, and secrets-keeper of the park and palace, were the only other ones allowed to witness the private ceremony. They were the ones who had been present when L had signed the contract, and so they would be the only ones who would be allowed to see the completion of it.

L himself was slightly nervous, but was disciplined enough to not allow himself to show it.

With some excitement, he listened as Linda spoke. "Lawliet the Turbulent, 5 years ago we entered into the agreement that, in return for allowing you to grow to your full potential, you would agree to training in the arts of flying, control of your respective element, and various other skills vital to the health of both your young mental and physical state. Correct?"

L inclined his head in acknowledgement of her words, knowing they were part of the ceremony. And pleased by L's response, Linda continued. "Now, your part of the deal has been fulfilled, by being trained to the best of my abilities, and passing the exam to ensure that you have leaned and practiced all that I taught. With your part of the agreement being fulfilled, it is now time to fulfill mine. Lawliet the Turbulent, are you ready to accept your true form and with it, all the responsibilities that come with being a fully grown dragon?"

Once again, L nodded, excitement building inside of him. Finally, he would no longer be a scrawny hatchling, but a true dragon, allowed to orchestrate his own legend and blaze his own way in life! No longer would his only asset be that he was a rare wind dragon; he would make a name for himself through his deeds, not his heritage!

Seeing L's nod, Linda nodded in return. "I see. Then I, the Wizard Linda, Master Trainer and Wizard, declare this contract complete and relinquish upon the dragon Lawliet the Turbulent his true, adult form!"

There was a beat of silence, then the contract glowed brightly, and black, scrawling letters wrote themselves across the parchment of the contract, spelling out, 'FULFILLED.'

Then, the contract glowed even brighter just as L dropped to his knees with a sharp cry, hugging his arms to himself, crossed over his stomach as if he was trying to curl up upon himself. The three humans and spectator dragon in the room watched as L's form began to glow with the same light as the contract, and even before their eyes, L's whole body began to _stretch._

Although, L wasn't aware of this- the only thing he felt was the pain in every part of his being, as if multiple hands were grabbing ahold of his every limb, every part of him and pulling, yanking.

He could feel what was happening, though- even as he tried to get past the pain, he felt his legs, arms, torso, neck, all of his body getting longer, taller, and felt the swell of new muscles beneath his skin, his bones growing and reforming themselves to accommodate his new body size. He could feel the teeth within his gums growing, protruding more to become longer and more fanglike, his claws on his hands sharpening and his wings being stretched to their limits, cracking and snapping as they grew. Even his tail seemed to be growing longer, thicker, in proportion to his longer body, and his ears, which were able to catch even the slightest change in the breeze of the wind he was riding, stretched out more.

The bones inside his face shifted, rearranging his young features into more adultlike ones, and his hair under his helmet crackled, standing up on its roots as it grew to make up for 5 years being frozen in place.

Because that's really what it was- when he had entered into the contract, his body and mind had been frozen. It had been proven that younger dragons learned best in their first year, and so to prevent the dragons from maturing too fast, before their training was complete, they had been preserved into their youthful state. It was also sort of an incentive for lazy dragons- they would not be able to achieve their true, adult forms until they complete their training, at which time, they would be duty-bound to protect their park.

So L's transformation was simply 5 years of withheld growth suddenly being enacted upon his body.

And although the pain made the process seem longer, it only took a minute for the last of the changes to assert themselves onto his aching body.

For a moment, after the last of the pain disappeared, L was unable to do anything but keep hunched over, breathing heavily through his new, longer and sharper teeth. But then, he gathered his strength and carefully removed his arms from his stomach to let them hang at his side, misjudging their length and nearly scraping his knuckles on the floor.

And then, L slowly stood up.

* * *

The world was different, he noted. Much taller than before, it took him a second for his eyesight to make the proper adjustments to his new size. When he felt he had it under control, he took a shaky step forward, misjudging the length of his leg and how heavy it was, and falling down to one knee.

Linda rushed forwards to help him, but he waved her off, determined to conquer this on his own.

And with that determination, he stood up, and more prepared this time, took a tentative step forwards, this time without falling. And then, pleased, he took another one, then another, until he was off the dais and standing in front of the king and queen.

Slowly, carefully, he bowed to the two figures of royalty. "Your Majesties," he said formally. "I am ready to serve you in whatever way need be."

In return, they studied him carefully, taking note of the changes in his body.

L was taller, reaching the height of many of the other dragons residing here, finally, and slim, his matured , slender body cutting a very fine figure. His baggy, urchin-like clothes had been replaced by newer ones. He wore dark grey pants, loose but still fitting, tucked into black boots whose top stopped a few inches short of reaching his knees. A long-sleeved, fitted white shirt with two rows of buttons going vertically up his front, on either side of where his belly button would be located was tucked into his pants, and he had a wide belt with a pack attached slung on his hips.

The shirt was collared, although it was hidden underneath his signature long red scarf. His gloves were ever present- soft, dark brown leather, although they had ripped at the tips to allow for his claws. L's sleek black wings were folded tightly to his back, still not coordinated enough to attempt using them, and his helmet and eye-obscuring goggles were, of course, in place as always. His pointed black ears with their jagged bottoms stuck out to the side a bit, and his long tail lay limp upon the floor, L still unsure of what to do with the added length to it.

For a fleeting moment, the two royalty in the room wondered what L's hair and eye color were; no one had ever seen them, much less the top of his face. However, it was not their place to ask, and so they pushed the thought aside.

Other than the fact that L was still attempting to get used to his new size and body, he was an ideal wind dragon- sleek and strong enough to slide through the harsh air currents, and professional and refined looking enough to withstand the public eye without criticism. All in all, the king and queen were very pleased with the dragon, and it showed in their smiles.

"We accept your fealty, L the Turbulent, and welcome you as a fully-fledged dragon to the park."

There was no contract binding him to the park now that his training was complete, but by swearing fealty to the king and queen, he was, in a way, still obliged to stay there and protect it, just as the king and queen were obliged to house and accommodate him. However, now that there was no contract, L had a bit more freedom, and was free to wander the skies and land as long as he fulfilled his oath to protect King Watari's park.

The king's acceptance made it now acceptable for L to straighten from his bow, and he did so slowly, finding that he was quickly learning to adjust to his new body's height and weight. It wouldn't be long before he could move just as well and gracefully as before, and that thought made him feel better although no emotion showed on his half-covered face.

"Thank you," L murmured demurely. "I request permission to take my leave and return to my habitat- these changes to my body are…exhausting, and I wish to have a good night's rest," he asked formally.

The king nodded, still obviously quite excited about the new proceedings if the glint in his eyes and straight set of his shoulders were anything to go by. "Of course, if that is what you wish. However, I do want you to come by later tomorrow, so that we may talk more about your new position and status here in the park. But for now, you are dismissed. We wish that you sleep well, and congratulate you on your completed training."

Inclining his head in gratitude, L then turned and made his way slowly out the room, although he allowed no weakness to show in his stride; his pride simply wouldn't allow for that.

* * *

"Light!"

He stopped and turned around as Linda and Halle the Idyllic came up to him, Linda's robes fluttering as her boots clacked sharply on the cobblestone street.

He sat down on his haunches, cocking his head to the side as the two females approached him.

Whatever could they need? He was tired and was just returning to his habitat…and his mind was preoccupied with L. He knew that his Maturing Ceremony had most likely just concluded.

He sincerely hoped that L wouldn't be pressured into anything… dragons of L's age were young and impressionable, apt to do anything to please the king. He himself had almost succumbed to a partnership under pressure, though he had backed out at the last second. He still didn't think Misa was quite over that…

He inclined his head politely in greeting as the two females approached him, and Linda wasted no time in saying excitedly, "He's matured! And oh, you should see him- he's quite magnificent, Light! Another wind dragon- oh, I have a feeling he'll go onto be just as great as you!"

Light simply blinked, a feathery eyebrow raising as he eyed the excited human wizard, wondering what the point of this could possibly be.

He huffed, nodding his head a few times in a gesture for her to get on with it and get to the point. Linda didn't notice, though Halle did, and she turned to Light to answer his implied question instead.

"What she neglected to tell you, Light," Halle the Idyllic said calmly, "is that… we suspect he's mixable. Linda consulted with Mogi after L left, and he can sense it by the energy signals coming off of him," she continued, not noticing the way Light froze at her revelation.

If L was mixable… there was no doubt that heavy pressure would be put upon the black dragon to take a partner. Somehow, that thought bothered him, and not only because he didn't approve of a coerced partnership.

"Ah, yes, yes," Linda said, noticing that Halle had went on to partly explain their purpose for approaching light. "But the whole reason we're here Light… is that we would like you to approach him and make sure of this. And if it is positive… would you consider taking him as your partner?"

Light was taken aback- not since his Maturing Ceremony had he been asked so directly to approach a dragon for a partnership, especially since L's status wasn't yet positive. Grounded, he simply stared at the two females, draconian cinnamon eyes wide and unblinking.

"We know that you're not interested in any of the other dragons here, and we acknowledge the fact that it might be because there are no other dragons of you element here," Linda continued, noticing Light's shocked state. "And we know that you don't approve of us pushing you onto other dragons, but… you and L might work. He's the only other wind dragon here, and he might just be compatible with you. You never know until you try," she started pleading as she saw Light's cinnamon eyes harden.

Never know until you try…

Snorting, Light shook his head, standing up. But rather than walking away as Linda feared, he phased into his humanoid form to actually be able to converse with the two females. Once his form had settled he leveled them with a glare, crossing his arms. "I don't appreciate being approached like this when I've made it clear I have no interest in partnerships, whatsoever," Light hissed, the tail of his coat starting to flap as an angry wind gathered around him.

"Light." Halle was the one that spoke up this time, her now-matured form stepping forwards to lay a comforting hand on Light's jacketed arm. She had reached maturity just a year ago and her wisdom had only increased, becoming wiser to the ways of the world.

Looking up into Light's angry cinnamon eyes, she knew that no words would convince Light to do something he did not want to do. A feeling of despair settled within her momentarily, before a thought struck her.

If words could not convince the stubborn dragon… perhaps actions would.

Stepping back, she nodded, feigning acceptance. "I understand that I will not be able to convince you otherwise," Halle said, "and so I shall not waste words in futile attempts to change your mind when it is resolute. I shall say one thing, however," Halle continued. "You never know until you see for yourself."

And then, with those last cryptic words, Halle turned and started back the way she came, Linda following after her silently.

* * *

…Preposterous.

Staring after the two females, Light seethed silently to himself. Who were they to approach him so blatantly and unsubtly about the matter that L was mixable? While he felt a flash of pity go through him for what he knew the newly-matured wind dragon would have to go through, of coercions and persuasions and the parading of mixable dragons in front of him- all that he had had to endure- it was, to put it quite bluntly and rudely, _not his problem_.

Hissing to himself, Light shifted back to his draconian form and turned, slinking down the path. His bad mood was apparent in his blatant glaring and tense posture, dissuading both human and dragon from approaching him.

Thoughts of what Halle and Linda had told him whirled through his mind, only exacerbating his annoyance with each passing minute. L was not his problem. He was not responsible for the young dragon's future, whether it be in matters of partnership or otherwise. He should not be approached like this- it was uncouth and rude.

…Though he was aware, in the back of his mind, that perhaps he was getting _too_ worked up over this.

That sudden thought had his clawed front foot freezing in midair, wide cinnamon eyes blinking once, before he sat down in the middle of the path, nibbling thoughtfully on his snakelike tongue.

So maybe he was taking this too close to home. What Linda said was simply a logical explanation. As the only two wind dragons, he and L were naturally a compatible pair, element-wise. If they mixed, the egg produced would be a high-level wind dragon, just as they were. As their element was rare, it was only natural that they be desired to mix.

…Personality-wise, though, Light was hesitant. He knew nothing of the wind dragon other than… that he was a wind dragon. He'd heard talk of the other dragon's personality, of course- it was common knowledge that the other dragon was aloof and reclusive, keeping to himself and never speaking more than he had to. Common knowledge.

But the dragon, L, himself…. Light knew nothing of.

Which was stupid, now that he thought about it, he realized, blinking, because as wind dragons, they should have been drawn to each other because of the elemental bond they shared. Like attracted like, in element's cases. He'd felt no urge to go and see the other dragon, if only to be in the presence of another being that shared his own element type, and that in itself was a most curious thing.

…And curiosity was one of Light's biggest downfalls, he knew. Wanting to know why he had never desired to be near the other dragon sparked his curiosity, and almost against his will, Light stood and resumed slinking down the path, his demeanor intent and thoughtful now instead of annoyed and abrasive.

In fact, the only time that Light had ever felt the need to be near L was when the dragon was an egg, and that odd feeling that had settled into his heart when the dragon had first hatched.

The remembrance of that feeling had Light's eyebrows furrowing in consternation. He had pushed it out of his mind at the time and never thought of it again, until now. But now that he did remember…that feeling, as well as the way he had been treading the same paths as L had lately, it made him all the more curious.

Intent now, Light paused only to close his eyes and extend his senses outwards, searching out the most recent energy trail L had given off. Once he located it, he immediately set off to track the other wind dragon down.

* * *

"I would have thought you'd been back in your habitat."

Finding L here, in the training arena had surprised Light. He knew from past experience that the maturing transformation was shocking and exhausting- he had slept for three days after he had matured.

So finding the black dragon here, in his humanoid form- which was the same height as Light, to his surprise- staring up at the moon was definitely somewhat of a shock. Taking a moment, Light's cinnamon eyes raked over the other wind dragon's form, noting the changes incurred on him by the maturing transformation.

He certainly was taller, Light noted, eyes sweeping over his lithe body, and much more filled out as well. No more was L the little hatchling he had been just that morning. He was now fully matured, a true adult in both forms.

Light's tail twitched at the mental implication he had just made- no doubt, other dragons would be clamoring for his attention, seeking to partner with him now that he was fully matured and his mixable status- for Light could detect the special energy signals that came from a dragon that was mixable being emanated from the dragon. And for some reason, the thought of that attention and the coercion that the other dragon would be put through to partner… irritated Light.

L's black, serrated ear twitched backwards at Light's words, though he did not move to turn to face Light, instead keeping his head tilted at the sky. After a moment, he sighed, head tilting down to look at the ground.

"…I am… tired…" the black dragon admitted, and the sound of L's new voice, husky, baritone, and quiet dragged across Light's senses, making his amber-colored tail twitch in unconscious interest.

"However…" L continued quietly as he raised a gloved hand to flex his fingers, staring the altered digits through his goggles in fascination, "there were certain things I was told on the way back to my habitat that made me desire to come here, where it is quiet, to think."

Ignoring the dragon's implied insinuation that Light was intruding upon that quiet, Light only raised an eyebrow and stepped closer, eyes gradually adjusting to the darkness of the arena. The paths of the park were lit by torches at night to allow weaker human eyes to see better, although Light hated them, because they wreaked havoc with his night vision. Away from the torches now, though, his accurate night vision was slowly returning, allowing him to see the other dragon more clearly.

His whole body was tense, shoulders hunched inwards and wings folded in tightly to his body, a sure sign of either nervousness or agitation.

"Certain things?" Light asked, curiosity overtaking him. He'd never had the chance to talk with the other dragon, aside from a few passing words in greeting and that first conversation, when L had told him his name. His elusive words only made Light want to learn more, piquing his curiosity.

Tilting his head back slightly so that Light could barely see his profile in the moonlight, L dipped his head in a small nod, black wings waving unsteadily with the motion. "Hn… yes," L said quietly. "I was stopped on my way back to my habitat by Wizard Linda and Halle… they informed me that I might want to find somewhere else to rest for the night, lest I want to be mobbed by anxious well-wishers."

Shifting slightly, tail twitching half-heartedly, as if it wasn't sure what to do or how to do it, L continued a moment later, on the ghost of a sigh, "And… those that might wish to find if I were mixable."

Light blinked, and then, he remembered. When he had first matured, the entrance to his habitat had been thronged by congratulators –dragon and human alike- and dragons who were anxious to see if he were mixable, so that they might know if he would be available for partnership with them. As a wind dragon, he was a very coveted partner. "Ah…" Light nodded, understanding L's predicament.

"You know, don't you?" The soft words came out of nowhere, and Light looked up in surprise, seeing that L had his back turned fully to him, head drooping slightly, lines of his back tensed. Light could only imagine that there was a small frown present on L's pale face, turning the corners of his pale lips down.

But he knew what L was asking- apparently, L had not yet been told, and was dreading the news. He had a very brief internal debate on whether he should be the one to tell L, but then decided yes, because the news would be better coming from a fellow dragon who appeared to have no designs on him, rather than a random human who would no doubt desire him to partner with in order to produce a wind dragon.

Sighing, Light rubbed the back of his head, closing his eyes momentarily, knowing that his words were the exact opposite of what L would want to hear. "…Yes," he admitted reluctantly. "Linda and Halle informed me. And I detect it in you, as well. Mixable dragons have a certain energy signal, and you possess the type."

Silence.

That was all there was in the wake of Light's revelation, and then L moved, the tension bleeding from his body and being replaced by a tangible sense of disappointment.

"Hn…" L murmured, soft, baritone voice bland and emotionless. "Just another added complication, then."

Taken aback, Light stepped closer, asking, "What do you mean?"

He could imagine how L's status as a mixable dragon could cause problems, but complications…?

Sighing forlornly, the other wind dragon brought his head up, finally turning to face Light. As he had thought, there was a small frown tilting the dragon's lips down. He could feel L's eyes on him, assessing, weighing, before he said, "I'm not like you, Light. I despise the attention- I cannot feel comfortable under the weight of a thousand heavy stares, obligations to the park and the people weighing me down."

Stunned, Light folded his arms, brows furrowing. "…You do not wish to live here?"

L's words were somewhat confusing and this was the only plausible conclusion he could draw.

Immediately, L shook his head, ink-black wings shifting agitatedly behind him. "That is not what I meant," L said. "I love it here- this is my home. But I wish to live under no one's rule but my own. I don't want… I don't want to feel obligated to be what you are, Light. I cannot interact comfortably with others, could never be the shining celebrity that you are."

Blinking, Light thought about the words before tentatively stepping to the other dragon's side, looking up at the same moon that he had been. L turned with him, and a peaceful silence reigned as Light thought about L's words.

The reclusive dragon reminded Light of when he was young. Back then, he had had no idea how to deal with the attention, relying on others to make decisions for him, following their leads. And that had almost lead to an unwanted partnership. But he had learned from that and adapted, becoming polite yet aloof, friendly, yet distant to dragon and human alike.

He glanced over at L out of the corner of his eye, seeing other dragon with his head tilted up, no doubt staring at the moon through his goggles. A brief thought went through his mind, of how L would look without the concealing goggles and flight helmet. What would his face look like? His hair- the color and texture? And the eyes- no one, as far as Light knew, had ever seen the other dragon's eyes, and a fierce desire ran through him at that moment to take off those goggles and see L's eyes, gain some insight into what the dragon was thinking.

But that was an insane desire- to invade his privacy in such a way was something only a close friend or partner would do.

And Light… he was neither of those things.

But perhaps… Halle's words came back to him, and a small thought flashed through his mind- perhaps, maybe, this dragon would not so bad to have as a partner. He certainly was intriguing, and was neither clingy nor brash, attempting to get closer to Light because of his status and looks.

In fact, the dragon had never shown an interest in partnership whatsoever, and that in itself was intriguing to Light, and made him more open to the idea. Would it be so bad, after all…?

Shaking his head slightly to clear it, Light finally spoke, voicing his thoughts. "In some ways, L, you and I are somewhat alike. I despise the attention- do you think I enjoy having humans and dragons watch every move I make with admiring, judging eyes, or the attention prospective partners lavish upon me? The obligations to partner with someone on the off chance of producing another wind dragon?" he said, a tense sort of bitterness rising in his voice, causing L to blink and raise his eyebrows in surprise under his goggles. Light had never voiced such thoughts before, and it was somewhat of a shock to L.

Eyeing the other dragon speculatively, L took in the fast rise and fall of Light's chest under the long coat he wore and then quietly conceded, "…Perhaps you are right. You just… you seem to handle it better than I do."

"I've had to live with it and adapt longer than you have, L," Light said with a small smile that held a trace of bitterness. "I know how to handle it. You've just not learned yet."

Slashing his hand out in front of him in a gesture of anger, L said, with the slightest trace of vehemence in his voice, "What if I don't want to learn, Light? What if…" he trailed off momentarily, arms returning to his side and hands clenching into fists, before he looked up to meet Light's eyes through the goggles. Moonlight glinted off the dark lens, making them flash white for the briefest of seconds.

"What if I just wish to be left alone? I don't want to have to wear a mask. I just wish…" His words died as he found himself unable to _truly _voice what he wanted, for even he was not sure. He wanted to be left alone, yet, he found a solitary life displeasing, for dragons were by instinct somewhat communal creatures.

"…What?" Light asked, turning to face L fully. His eyes were intense as he stared at the other wind dragon, waiting for the rest of his sentence to be voiced.

L didn't finish, however. He remained silent, and Light could feel the other wind dragon's hidden eyes sweeping over him, assessing and sizing him up before he turned away once more. Almost unconsciously, Light stepped closer to stand at L's side, eyebrow cocked at the way the wind dragon remained silent.

After a few moments, however, L spoke, and the sudden turn in conversation topic threw Light off-guard. He was somewhat relieved, however; the previous topic had held a weighted, heavy feel to it, making the topic of their lives in the park and what was expected of them nearly awkward.

Quietly, hidden eyes sweeping over the mountains highlighted in the pale light of the moon, L murmured, "…I had considered flying up to the mountains tonight, after what Halle and Linda informed me of."

Blinking, Light tilted his head to regard the dragon curiously. That was actually quite the good idea; dragons here rarely traversed the high, cold winds to the mountains. The winds were too rough and they were unable to adjust to the higher altitude temperatures as wind dragons were able to.

"Why didn't you?" Light asked, for in doing so, L would have gotten some true peace and quiet, without worry of being disturbed by others.

The ghost of a smile pulled at L's lips, exposing a bit of fang, and he explained, "I am very tired. My body would not be able to handle the strain. And…" here he shrugged, wings rustling in slight amusement, "I'm not yet used to the changes wrought upon my body. I cannot use my wings nor tail well enough to fly yet."

L's words brought Light's focus to the black dragon's body quite unwittingly, and once again, Light noted the changes that had occurred. He was very much aware by now that L had evolved into an exceptionally desirable dragon. That he was mixable only made him more so, and to Light… the fact that he shared Light's own element, could understand and keep up with him in ways no other dragon would ever be able to do was undeniably enticing.

Halle's words came back to Light, and irritation flashed briefly through him as he remembered her words. The earth dragon had been right. Seeing L like this, matured, mixable, and sharing his same element…

He was unable to deny that the idea of taking L as his partner was no longer unappealing. In fact…

Shifting slightly as a small breeze filtered through the now silent arena, Light was able to catch a waft of the black dragon's unique scent. L smelled of thunderclouds, of fresh rain and charged ozone and cold mountain air. Crisp, fresh and clean, with the slightest hint of natural musk that was solely his.

Breathing in deeply, Light savored the smell, the scent of the wind dragon almost unbearably tantalizing.

…L was nearly becoming agonizingly alluring.

Eyes sliding open, neither L nor Light noticed that they had darkened in shade, bleeding to a crimson-infused caramel. The black dragon attracted and affected him quite deeply, he noted to himself, even as he attempted to shake off his mental musings and return to the conversation. L would no doubt become suspicious if he remained silent and unanswering for too long.

"Ah, yes…" Light nodded in understanding. "The change. It is quite strange, isn't it? To become an adult so suddenly…" Light trailed off, forgetting thoughts of L for the moment in favor of remembering when he had first matured. It had taken him days, if not weeks, to fully adjust to the sudden changes wrought upon his body. It had thrown him off-balance for days, and the feel of being reduced to a near-hatchling once more as he had to relearn how to fly and walk and not knock things over with his new, longer appendages was disconcerting and _highly_ embarrassing.

Humming softly in amusement, L nodded, sleek black tail twitching behind him. "Hn. Yes. It is quite the disconcerting feeling. I feel as if I am still myself in mind, but as if this body is not mine." As if to reinforce this, his wings twitched involuntarily upon his back and he shifted his weight from his left foot to his right, as if he had momentarily lost his balance.

The shifting drew Light's eyes to the sleek form of the other wind dragon. "That feeling will pass…" Light murmured almost absentmindedly, eyes trailing over L's body with a new air, causing L to tense and wonder why, exactly, he did. It was not the first time Light had done this, as L had noticed the golden dragon doing it previously, but then, L had simply chalked it up to dragonian curiosity. Light had simply been curious at the time, L had assumed. He was seeing how L had changed, and it was understandable. L himself would have been the same way if their positions and situation had been reversed.

But this… this blatant eyeing up of his figure, the sweeping rake of now-darkened eyes over his body was different, more personal and less detached and curious, as it had been before. It set L at unease, though nothing about Light's body language or words had been threatening.

"However…" Light continued almost blandly, raising his arm to tap his chin with a finely-clawed finger, "I cannot help but wonder…" As he trailed off, there was a sort of expectancy left in the air, as if Light was planning on saying something more- though what it was, L had no idea, other than the distinct sense of unease growing at the hooded look Light was giving him.

Something had changed in Light's demeanor, in the way he held himself and the tone in his voice. It was a subtle shift, but L was a master at reading bodily cues and sensing changes in the air. Light's intent had changed subtly in the air around them, and it made L nervous, licking his lips in an unconscious gesture of tenseness.

Nonetheless, even through the tension, L kept the waver out of his voice as he asked, "Wonder what?"

A step.

All Light took was a step forwards, closer to L, yet it made his breath hitch and the base of the skin around his wings prickle in sudden nervousness. Light was getting too close, the aura around him too… intense… for L to feel comfortable. Almost involuntarily, L stepped back, away from Light, his eyes narrowed under the goggles that shielded them from the harsh winds and prying eyes.

This was getting too off, to out of L's normal comfort zone for him to deal with. And at Light's next words he froze, part of his subconscious, primal brain realizing where Light was leading to with this line of questioning and his posturing.

"What other changes have been incurred upon your body, L?" Light murmured, cinnamon eyes trailing over his body with a mixed sense of curiosity and intentness.

Clawed fingers twitching in an involuntary sign of nervousness, L suddenly cursed himself for getting too comfortable, too lax in the other dragon's presence. He should have kept his guard up, or even better- gone back to his habitat. There were many dragons there, waiting for him, yes, but at least he wasn't alone with another dragon, haplessly weak in the aftermath of his transformation.

"What do you-?" L started, anger and confusion lacing his voice, but Light cut him off, advancing closer, raising a hand to fiddle with L's goggle straps, fingertips brushing over the pale skin of his temple. The sudden daring closeness of the other dragon- because no one, no one had ever dared get this close to him- caught him off-guard, freezing him in place and leaving him wondering at Light's new game.

"You hide yourself away, L, and not just in body. You hide yourself away behind clothes and trappings, and I can't help but wonder what lies underneath," Light murmured, eyebrows furrowing in concentration as he fingered the straps of L's flight goggles.

_What lies underneath-_

The words that subtly implied Light's intentions snapped L out of his shock and he bared his fangs, a guttural, warning hiss rising from his throat. He raised a hand to bat Light's away, but it was clasped firmly, but not harshly, in Light's own. His claws dug into the leather of L's own gloves, barely pricking the skin below. It was a silent order for L to not resist what Light was attempting to do.

But unfortunately, this was not an order the black dragon was inclined to acquiesce.

Eyes narrowing under flight goggles, L's sleek, muscular tail lashed angrily behind him as he yanked at his arms, attempting to break Light's grip. It was to no avail, however, and as Light started to tug at the strap holding his goggles in place with the firm and obvious intent of removing them and exposing the black dragon's eyes and face, L started to panic. He didn't know how to deal with this type of situation, where his privacy was being compromised. Distraught and not thinking clearly, he could only protest, "What are you doing?! Stop that!"

"No, L," Light murmured, cinnamon eyes sparking in anticipation as he tugged the goggle strap the slightest bit looser, making L's panic increase as he felt the loss of the straps around his head for the first time in years.

"You've hidden yourself away for far too long, and I'm sick of it. I've finally found someone I've been longing for- you share my element- can you not feel what I do when we are in contact?" Light pressed, momentarily flicking his eyes down to observe L's face, seeing the faintest trace of panic in his tightly-drawn lips and tense facial muscles.

He didn't want panic- he wanted acquiescence, want, _need,_ and he pressed forwards, feeling the energy around L and himself sparking as their elements came into contact. L jolted at the zing of energy, and for the first time, Light could _feel_ L, sense his energy and feel the draw their two wind element energies created.

It was then that Light realized why- L had been consciously hiding his energy signal all of his life- as he had been when still in the egg. His mother's gift had followed through even after L was born, and he had been able to utilize it and train it until his wind energy signal was all but vanished.

Smiling slightly now that Light understood, he gave L no chance to reconstruct the barriers that hid his wind energy from Light, instead murmuring, "When you let your guard down, when you don't think about keeping your shields up, I can _feel_ you."

The words successfully distracted L, who froze, shocked that Light had been able to figure out his tactic of concealing his energy. However, it soon faded, melting into hot anger. "What I feel is none of your concern!" L snapped, temper rising. He fought to stop his goggles from coming off, but Light's intention was relentless, and L gasped in startled shock as his goggles and flight helmet were slid off of his head, allowing his hair to spill free and eyes be exposed to the world for the first time in years.

Still somewhat stunned at Light's bold move and the feel of the night breeze against his uncovered face, he didn't resist as Light gently laid a clawed fingertip under L's chin, tilting his head back and allowing Light to see what had previously been hidden.

He really should have expected no less, Light thought, eyes sweeping over L's exposed face. The dragon's face was as lovely as his form, with the large black eyes ringed in dark, thick circles stark in a pale face, highlighted by jagged, ink-black spikes of hair sweeping over his forehead, in front of his eyes and falling about his shoulders. The grey-black eyes were stormy, roiling with a slew of exposed emotions and Light drank it in, reveling in being able to see the uncertainty, anger, and the slightest flicker of intrigue flash through those captivating eyes.

But the alluring sight was soon torn from Light, sooner than he would have liked as L blinked, startling into realization. A pale lip curled in anger as L hissed, a thrilling flash of anger shooting through stormy black eyes. Before Light had a chance to react, L twisted out of Light's grip, his black tail slashing through the air to smack Light in the ribs, even as a clawed hand raked over his face.

Wincing at the lancing pain that shot through his cheek, stumbling back as L's sleek back tail collided with his ribs, Light coughed as the wind was momentarily knocked out of him. He soon righted himself, though, to level a glare at the angry black dragon, who was crouched a few feet away from him, snarling in anger. Warm blood trickled down his face from the shallow cut and onto his lips. Light licked it away, tasting and almost savoring the metallic, irony flavor of the warm liquid.

It tasted, Light thought with a fleeting thrill of excitement, like a challenge.

"You presume to take too many liberties," L growled, black eyes flicking over to where his flight goggles and helmet lay, strewn off to the side. Black-clawed fingers twitched, betraying their desire to reclaim that which had previously protected his face and hid his emotions from the world. His wings snapped out, flaring in agitation as he shifted restlessly, watching Light with wary, angered eyes.

Chuckling to himself, Light wiped away the blood pooling from the scratches upon his face, eyeing the dripping crimson with a measure of annoyance and pleasure, even as he licked the last trails from his lips and cheek with a long tongue.

L was feisty, unpredictable and not easily captured; it was almost exactly like the winds he rode, shaped to his will daily, and the likeness between the two was satisfying.

Lawliet the Turbulent; a fitting name for the black wind dragon. And a fitting partner, Light realized pleasedly- he was not one to back down from the thrill of a challenge. And Light adored, reveled in challenges- ones such as L was presenting him with. He appreciated the tenseness in L's form, the way he held himself bringing out the litheness and gracefulness in the dragon's form.

It was almost as if he were testing, tempting, _daring _Light to try and take him, to subdue him. And that dare was one of the most tantalizing challenges he had ever had the pleasure of accepting. And that it was a dare that was given by the elusive, cold L, no less.

This was a dragon that could keep up with him, match him head-on in both air and on ground. And the thought of how he would meet that challenge head-on and subdue L until he was a mass of writhing pleasure in Light's embrace was a thrillingly arousing one, as well. Even now, he could feel his blood thrumming heatedly, breath coming faster as he rose to the challenge, his primal instincts rising from his buried subconscious and coming to the front in anticipation of what was to come.

Smiling darkly, supple lips curling to show of the tips of pearly fangs, Light raised his hands to delicately slide each of the buttons on his coat out of their holes, slipping the two-tailed coat off to toss it off to the side, a brief manipulation of the wind allowing it to flutter to the ground, spread out smoothly.

He would be needing that later.

"I hardly think the desire to feel and experience the energy of another dragon sharing my element is presumptuous," Light told the other dragon, cinnamon eyes flashing in anticipation.

The movement of Light's coat caught L's eye, and using the brief moment of distraction as a window of opportunity, Light leaped forwards, using his four wings to propel him into L's body, knocking them both to the ground. L let out a sharp hiss of shock as his side hit the hard dirt ground of the training arena, but he wasn't down for long. Years of combat training had trained his reflexes and instincts to precision, so he was ready to adjust to the slightest shift in the tide of battle or the direction of the winds.

Growling in anger, L flapped his wings, the clawed tip of his right wing nicking Light on the side of his neck. He used his elbows to hoist himself up, kicking at Light in the process- but Light had went through the same training, and quickly, he grabbed L's booted ankle and yanked, jerking the startled wind dragon off-balance and onto his stomach.

The move knocked the breath out of L momentarily, forcing air to leave his lungs with a harsh breath of air. Seeing L winded momentarily, Light quickly rolled to his feet and jumped to straddle L, using his heavier mass to pin the black dragon down. He grabbed the other's wrists in a single clawed hand and held them firmly to the ground, feeling a thrill of triumph as he did so and reveling in the feel of slim hips pressing against his own sensitive inner thighs. L was slim but not breakable, and Light's primal instincts rumbled heartily in approval at this revelation.

Growling darkly in dire anger, L writhed, body twisting and tail lashing like a blade across the ground in an attempt to throw Light off of him or get his wings free.

"Get off of me!" L growled, in his haze of anger not noticing Light's free hand trail down, the claw hooking on the bottom of L's white shirt and swiftly tugging it free from where it was tucked into his trousers.

"I don't think I will," Light murmured almost distractedly as the smallest sliver of white flesh was bared to his eyes. It was tantalizingly close, and Light was torn between the two strong desires of bending his head down to taste that supple flesh above the brim of the trousers with his tongue or rend it with his claws and turn it bloody red in an obvious staking of his claim on the other dragon.

The feel of cool air against his back had L freezing momentarily, and it was then, as he felt his shirt being tugged up the slightest bit more, that it really hit home what Light was attempting to do. He had thought, but had not been certain- not until now, when Light's previous words combined with his attempts to subdue and undress him indicated Light's ulterior motive- partnership.

Hot, unadulterated rage flashed through L- he couldn't be allowed _one_ day, one _hour_ after it becoming known that he was mixable before he was accosted in such a manner? And that Light sought to subdue him in such a manner- he would not go down so easily as this!

Something inside of him screamed, growled at him to kill Light, to erase the prideful, smirking wind dragon from this earth forever, but a stronger instinct held him back and tamped down the hateful, dark voice resounding in his mind. The two desires battled in his mind for a brief moment before L made the split-second, damning decision to listen to the more reasonable-sounding one telling him not to kill Light- but still do whatever he could to get him the _hell_ off.

Snarling lowly in his throat, anger fueled his strength as he twisted to one side, ripping a hand free to elbow Light soundly and harshly in the chest. Clawed hands left his back as Light reeled backwards, stunned by L's sudden action. He was shocked when he was flipped onto his back when L brought both now-freed hands under himself, pushed up, and jump-twisted away from Light, flapping his wings once to further his distance.

Shaking his head, Light looked up, the smallest thread of anticipation and arousal going through him as he saw L's defensive stance, the knowledge in his eyes and challenge in his gaze. His lips were curled and wings flared out, eyes narrowed into venomous black slits and fangs bared in a sneer.

He knew what Light was doing.

Dragon partnerships were almost delicately-done dances that could go one of two ways- acceptance and a partnership between the pursued and pursuer, or a death, dealt to the pursuer by the dragon being pursued.

L might not have realized it, but in that he didn't land the killing blow before, when he had the chance when Light was stunned, meant that he had accepted Light's suit. Even if it was a subconscious decision made purely by his primal draconian instincts, the fact that L knew what Light desired and had chosen not to kill him had sealed his fate.

L's instincts would not allow him to kill Light now- as the one being pursued, he would eventually submit. How long that took was simply up to Light's skill and desire to keep fighting.

Hot arousal flashed through him at this knowledge, that by the end of this night, L was going to be _his_, writhing and crying under him in pleasure. It was a heady thought that brought a fanged leer to his lips as he rose to his feet silently, holding back the pleased purr when he saw L tilt his head up, baring his chin in a wordless challenge. He had read the intent in Light's body and eyes, smelled the desire and arousal wafting off of the golden wind dragon and the sight and smell sparked something within L.

A small part of him screamed that this was crazy, that to be partnered this early was insane, but his stronger instincts that were urging him to meet Light's challenge all but blotted out the voice of reason. As kindred wind dragons, his dragon side acknowledged the fact that Light was a suitable partner and saw the strength in his bearing, appreciated his high status in their community. To a purely draconian point of view, Light was an ideal partner- and L's quickly diminishing human side appreciated Light's looks and figure as well. Put together, they painted a very compelling picture of Light to L's quickly instinctual-turning mind.

But this still didn't mean that L was to go down so very easily- just as Light had proven himself a fine partner prospect through his status and behavior thus far, L had to return that, as the one being pursued, by showing Light that he was able to hold his own.

This was the thought fixed firmly in his mind, and what prevented him from sidestepping as he easily could have done when Light swiftly jumped at him. He met Light's force head-on, and they rolled to the ground. But this time, Light made no attempt to pin L- he accepted L's bites, kicks and scratches as they fought, returning them- though not as harshly as L was dealing them out.

This was simply another step in the partnership ritual, allowing the pursued to show that they were strong and capable as well as testing their pursuer, seeing how much they could take and how long it took to subdue them. Challenges and domination were what dragons lived for, and this ritual allowed both.

He allowed L to bite at his neck with sharp fangs, inflict harshly-bleeding scratches onto his arms, smack bruise after bruise onto his ribs and back as his strong wings beat against Light's body and feet and elbows kicked and hit against his own. He relished the pain, because he knew that it was better than death, which was the only other outcome of his pursuit of L. The burning, the aching, the sharp pains and feel of blood flowing from his body and dripping onto himself, L, and staining the ground underneath where they fought only served to fuel his desire, shooting hot pulses of arousal through his body each time L showed his strength and cleverness by evading one of Light's less harsh blows to land his own.

He grinned darkly as he twisted to the side a bit, feeling L's black, blood-stained claws rake over his shoulder and bit down upon L's neck, closing his eyes in delight as he felt the rumble of an angered growl vibrate through his throat and to his lips, tasting the hot, metallic liquid stain his mouth.

Feeling L's body tense and accurately predict what he was about to do, Light released his near-stranglehold on L's neck to twist to the side, preventing a hand from landing a punch in the solar plexus but getting a strong blow in the ribs from a black-grey wing instead.

Still smirking, Light renewed his attack on L, attempting to pin him to the ground somehow, but L proved too lithe and agile for that; he fought almost like a mountain cat, growling and relentlessly inflicting pain upon Light's all-too willing body. The night wore on this way, until a brief instance where L's hips ground purely by accident against his own forced a harsh groan of desire from Light's throat, breaking the tenuous thread of control he had over his desire.

Bleeding heavily from scratches and cuts on his body and sore from the harsh bruises dealt upon him by L's blows, adrenaline and arousal rushing through his veins, Light snapped into action, revealing his true strength at last. He caught L's hand just as it was about to descend onto his shoulder in another vicious raking of claws, and yanking, he jerked L to his feet and whirled him around, sending the other wind dragon sprawling onto the coat he had neatly laid aside.

The blow stunned L, sending his head reeling as he smacked it on the ground. Dimly, he registered Light leaping on top of him, pinning him to the ground, splayed out neatly on the coat Light had previously discarded.

_That bastard, _L thought sluggishly, attempting to raise himself off the ground and shake his head slowly to clear it before he realized that with Light on top of him, it was impossible. _He planned this._

It was just too convenient for that coat to have been there and for Light to have thought to throw him onto it last-minute. This had been premeditated- the moment that coat came off, Light had known what was going to happen.

It was manipulative and sneaky, something worthy of a pursuing dragon and L felt a curl of heat pool in his stomach at the thought, his length twitching in involuntary eagerness within the confines of his trousers. Cursing mentally, L jolted when he felt a sharp claw rake over his skin as it hooked on the bottom of his shirt. The prick of pain cleared his head enough to realize that Light was slowly running a clawed finger up the length of his spine, cutting away his shirt.

That was his favorite shirt! Growling and hissing heated cloud vapor from his nostrils, L bucked his hips upwards, attempting to throw Light off of him. The other wind dragon, however, simply reached down and grasped a slim hip in a dangerously clawed hand, sharp points digging into his flesh in a silent warning for him to be still.

L ignored it, however, and shifted onto his side to raise a black wing for the sole purpose of snapping it back and hitting Light with it. However, Light had already seen and experienced this move many times previously and was prepared for it. He flashed a hand out, grabbing the top claw firmly and yanked it down against L's back, simultaneously pushing the other dragon more firmly to the ground.

Ignoring the dire threats and curses spewing out of L's mouth-Light continued in his previous actions, all the while assessing the black wind dragon and watching his body for signs of future attack.

Baring his teeth, his nostrils flared and long tail snapped behind him as he hastily grabbed L's trousers and ripped them off, throwing the shredded cloth to the side. L, though nearly rendered immobile, was able to lift his head enough to snarl at Light in protest of the rough treatment of his clothes, black, stormy eyes sparking in annoyance.

The sight of L's lovely, pale face twisted in a sneer of anger mixed with unconscious excitement only egged Light's instincts further on. Letting out a growl of his own, he clamped a hand on a bared, pale globe of L's rear and simultaneously flashed his head down to sink his teeth in a smooth, pale right shoulder.

A harsh shriek left L's mouth as he jerked under Light, feeling the teeth pierce his skin and blood stream wet and hot from he wound, but it was an instinctive move- the sign of Light asserting dominance. The move forced L to still, breathing heavily and steadily as he felt Light's clawed fingers dig into a pale cheek, kneading the fleshy globe and streaking it with bright, beautifully red scratches.

And the sight of the lightly-bleeding scratches on pale, previously unblemished skin pleased Light, causing him to let out a pleased rumble deep in his throat. Lifting his head, he ran a long tongue over the wound made with his teeth, fingers trailing up to lightly rake over the now-still L's sleek sides, leaving stinging, tingling red trails on white flesh in the wake of his claws.

He felt L shiver under him and he grinned as he sat up, eyes trailing over L's body, taking a brief moment to admire the smooth white skin and light tone of muscle in the lithe body. His large, batlike wings were spread out to the side, the moonlight glinting off the grey and black colors- like that of L's eyes and the color of thunderheads, Light through with appreciation. L's draconian appendages and features were just as lovely as his human ones- and the former only enhanced the overall attractiveness of the black wind dragon, in Light's opinion.

And just thinking about the challenge that L had offered, the wounds that he had inflicted upon Light and the fight that it took to subdue the other dragon…. Light shivered at that, for strength and cleverness was something his dragon side appreciated and something L had in overabundance.

Turbulent, L definitely was, and it pleased Light to think that he would be the only one to ride the winds that L stirred. He would be the one to tame the other wind dragon, make him shudder and writhe, taste the dragon's hot blood and rake his claws over the pale skin, marring it and claiming the other as his.

His whole life, he had been subconsciously waiting for this moment, and now that it was upon him, Light found himself desperately impatient to take what he had earned as his. Unable to wait any longer, Light roughly dug his red-clawed hands into L's hips, jerking him backwards onto his knees and closer to him, simultaneously shifting off of L's body as he did so, moving so that he knelt between L's raised thighs. In this position, L's back end was hiked high in the air, revealing, for the first time, the rosy, puckered entrance that was so very alluring to Light.

He heard L's sharp gasp of shock as he was jerked into this new position, hips raised high in the air and cool night breeze gently brushing over places that had never been touched in any way before, It sent a shudder wracking through the black dragon's pale, firm body and drew a twitch from the exposed length raising proudly from between L's legs.

The sight was undeniably arousing and enticing to Light, the evidence of L's interest in the act, the desire for this to occur, and the purely beautiful sight of L's highly aroused body so perfectly displayed for him. Licking his lips, he held L's shivering form in place and inclining his head, trailed his long, reptile-like tongue up the cleft, pausing when the tip of his tongue rested lightly over the enticing pucker.

At the feel of Light's smooth, wet, hot tongue trailing over such a sensitive area, L's eyes shot open and his clawed fingers dug into the earth, shuddering as he felt a wave of arousal wash over him, feeling a hot spike of pleasure shoot directly to his groin. He couldn't believe was Light was about to do, but he wasn't about to resist- there was nothing he could do but allow Light to do as he saw fit.

Still, something inside him reared in anger, urging him to defiance- Light would not be allowed to take him so easily. There was just something about this easy compliance that dealt a blow to his pride, and though what Light was doing felt overwhelmingly good, his pride wouldn't allow him to simply lie down and take it peacefully.

That was not the way this would go. Light had to earn this.

Snarling, he twisted, smacking Light harshly across the shoulder with his strong black tail, attempting to jerk a leg free to kick Light away in hopes of escaping and scrambling to his feet.

"Shit!" Light dodged L's leg with a snarled expletive, shaking off the sharp jolt of pain that came with the hit to the shoulder. Eyes narrowing in annoyance- for couldn't the blasted dragon stay still for this?!- he dug his fingers into L's slim hip, claws digging deep into the soft skin and he pushed L firmly down into the ground, a dark smirk overtaking his face as L gave a sharp cry of shock and pain at the harsh action. "You need to stay still," Light nearly purred, a darkly sweet smile overtaking his face as L froze and hissed angrily at Light's words.

He tried wriggling away once more, but abruptly stopped as the actions only make Light's deadly, sharp claws sink further into his skin. Freezing momentarily, L slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder, meeting Light's blazing cinnamon with angry, yet subdued black.

And that subduedness pleased Light. Smiling darkly, he held L's eyes as he slowly bent his head once more, slipping out his tongue to probe once more at L's entrance, lightly licking over the puckered folds teasingly.

The feel of Light's tongue flicking over such a sensitive spot was simply too much, making him gasp in shocked pleasure and knowing better than to try anything again,(for his hips were still stinging from the previous abuse inflicted by Light's red-tainted claws) L finally gave up with a deep-throated groan. He allowed his body to go pliant in Light's grip and dropped his head to rest it on the ground, his clawed fingers digging into the as he finally allowed Light to do what he wished.

Sensing this, Light gave a pleased hum and continued happily, enjoying the feel of the ring of virgin muscles twitch erratically under his tongue, finely-tuned ears picking up each and every one of L's pleased murmurs and gasps as he unconsciously pushed his hips back the slightest bit, silently asking for more.

And this, Light was happy to oblige. Humming pleasedly, Light readjusted his grip on L's hips so that it was still firm, yet not so harsh as to cause too much pain. Blood welled from where his claws had dug into the skin and reddened marks came as his fingers let up from their death grip- the red foretelling of dark, lovely bruises that would be blossoming there the next day. This sign of ownership and proof that he had been the one to do this to L- would be the only one to _ever _do this- pleased the primal part of Light and in a much better mood now that things were going his way, inclined his head more, finally plying his tongue through the tight ring of muscle and into the hot, silky recesses of L's body.

L's mind went utterly, totally, and wholly blank as Light's versatile tongue invaded his body, silky hair brushing teasingly over the skin of his cleft and cheeks as he moved his face even closer. The feel of Light's tongue wriggling and smoothing over his inner muscles wrestled a strangled gasp from his throat, fingers and thighs trembling as Light's tongue went to straight to its pleasurable work. It slipped further inside of him, an unrelenting, hot invasion of muscle stroking pleasurably over the incredibly sensitive walls of his insides.

It wriggled around inside of him, subtly stretching the tight virgin muscles and L's hands clenched in the dirt as he struggled to keep his sanity and wits about him, gritting his teeth to prevent himself from becoming too consumed. But it was so hard- Light was simply too overwhelming. The tongue inside of him, thrusting in and out in a mockery of what L instinctively knew what was to come, as well as the masochistically arousing burn of Light's claws digging into his parted cheeks, sending hot blood dripping down the back of his thighs was too much.

Somehow, though, the feel of Light's tongue inside of him, stoking and flicking and stretching him from the inside was relentlessly arousing, and combined with the surprisingly erotic feel of Light's deadly, yet gentle claws digging into his hips all transformed itself into undeniable, almost blinding pleasure. Shivering, L grasped the ground desperately, pushing himself backwards and closer to Light in an attempt to get more of that addicting feeling.

Light only hummed in amusement, his tongue almost dancing within L, enjoying the way the silken walls contracted around his tongue, hot and tight. He could only imagine what it would feel like when he was finally able to take L in the exact way he wanted to and he felt his cock jerk as a bolt of arousal shot through him at the thought. To be buried within the silken heat surrounding his tongue, running his claws over the delectably firm, lovely body was an undeniably exciting thought, and he hissed as L suddenly very slightly pushed back, obviously seeking more.

The fact that L liked what he was doing enough to want more pleased the dominant part of Light's brain and he began purring in appreciation, vibrations rumbling out of his throat. He flicked his tongue upwards, actively seeking a certain spot now rather than focusing on stretching and caressing the inside of the black wind dragon.

The jerk and near-scream wrought from L's throat when he finally did find L's prostate with his tongue only served to stoke both his ego and desire, making his cock harden more than he thought possible, feeling the first few wet drops of precum dribble out from the tip. God, was he aroused…And L writhing in his grip and making those erotic little gasps and moans as he deftly manipulated his prostate with a clever tongue, relentlessly flicking over and rubbing it with the tip of his versatile tongue in alternating turns was not helping his control any.

All L knew was a blinding, intense was of pleasure as Light's tongue did remarkable things inside of him- flicking and stretching him from the inside. And when that hot, versatile tongue twisted and flicked upwards, rubbing over a certain spot that almost had him scream at the intensity, his higher brain functions ceased to work, replaced by the unmistakable feeling of wanting _more._ Hot pleasure burned through his body, flames licking through his veins and pooling in his groin as Light's tongue rubbed relentlessly over that one spot inside of him, sending him writhing and squirming both wanting to get away from the overwhelming feelings and keep pressing back in search for more.

L nearly screamed at a rather harsh probe of Light's tongue and he barely registered the darkly pleased chuckles issuing forth from Light's chest at the strangled sound. He almost moaned in desperation as that tongue slowly slid out of him, lapping once in a gesture of farewell at his entrance as it pulled out, before it was gone along with Light's presence.

Craning his head back, L's eyes widened before they fell heavy-lidded as he watched Light stand up in one fluid motion. Swiftly, he disrobed, clothes fluttering to a heap next to the scraps of L's shirt and thankfully intact pants.

And then, he didn't have time to think as he sensed Light's warm presence at his back again, warm, slightly callused fingers smoothing down his back and spine in an appreciative gesture. He shivered at the warm caress, feeling oddly relaxed by it, even as a tense knot of anticipation started to curl in his groin at the feeling of Light's heard, heavy length pressing at his rear, rubbing in between the cleft of his cheeks with every shift of Light's hips.

He bit his lip against the groan that threatened to issue forth as Light leaned over him, fingers gently trailing over the sensitive junction in between his wings and muscled, warm chest pressing against his back. It felt as if Light's body were molded to his as the golden wind dragon bent his head, nibbling gently at the outer rim of a black ear, hot breath fluttering over it.

Though Light's next words made him tense in first shock, and then indignation. His black eyes narrowed into venomous slits a second before they slid shut in pleasure as a hand trailed from his wings, over his waist, and then around his front to trace delicate, feathery touches over his heated, throbbing length.

"You look _very _delectable underneath me…" Light murmured darkly, squeezing the sleek shaft in his hand just the slightest bit, forcing a shocked gasp from the black dragon.

But L was not one to take things lying back. His surname was not Turbulent for no good reason. He did have a temper that could be as black as threatening stormclouds, and it flared now, in the aftermath of Light's mocking, arousing words.

"Fuck you!" L hissed, obsidian eyes burning with arousal and defiance, still shuddering and clawing at the ground, even as Light continued to pleasure him with swift strokes of his hand upon his cock. A breathy chuckle whispered across the sensitive skin of his ear, and then the hand on his length left him suddenly. It was a small groan of mixed relief and disappointment that left L's throat, though that relief did not last for long as he felt something blunt and hot pressing at his entrance seemingly quite suddenly, making him tense involuntarily.

Light smirked, unseen by the black wind dragon. It pleased him that L was still so defiant and fiery- the defiance was still there, the unspoken challenge for Light to take him- if he could. Even in the face of what was about to happen, L still tried to deny him, fighting to get free and clawing at the ground. Light was delighted at such spirit.

Relishing in what he was about to do, Light shifted back, aligning his aroused and ready cock with the reddened, stretched pucker that shone with the slightest sheen of saliva left over from Light's previous ministrations. He paused for a moment, savoring the tenseness on L's body as it clicked that it was happening _right now_, feeling the slightest nervous twitching of the muscles against the ultra-sensitive head of his cock. Unable to resist nettling the dragon breath him just a bit, Light took a moment and purred, "No. I think… I shall fuck _you_."

And then, before L had time to protest or attempt to wriggle away, Light was pushing into that hot body, ignoring the harsh groan torn from L's pale lips at the action. Instead, he simply enjoyed the way L's tight inner muscles contracted around his length, seeming to welcome him in, sucking him deeper within the tight heat until his hips contacted roughly with L's rear.

Shivering subtly, Light paused, bowing his head and clenching his teeth as he attempted to resist simply withdrawing and slamming back into L's hot, tight body without restraint, no matter how strongly his instincts were calling for him to.

Though Light knew that L could handle the pain, (and secretly suspected that the wind dragon enjoyed the pain their rough coupling held) he was somewhat leery of causing lasting internal damage to the black wind dragon. He did, after all, want to do this with him again…

Though L was in pain, it was a pain that was mixed with an almost unbearably arousing pleasure. Light was almost scalding-hot and hard within him, filling him up to the brim and stretching him beyond what he thought he could take. But he was able to stand it, and as Light's hips met his rear, silken-haired balls just lightly brushing against his own, he had to repress of groan of mixed relief and euphoria. His every nerve seemed to be tingling, singing, as Light's own body invaded his own, their matching energies mingling and sending sparks up and down his body. It felt unbearably good to be invaded his way, to have Light surrounding him, claws digging into his skin and body pressing firmly against his in an undeniable action of claiming.

And though it did feel good, there was an uncomfortable burn and aching stretch that accompanied Light's invasion of his body. Breathing in deeply through the uncomfortable feeling of being stretched to the limits, L shifted slightly, his wings raising and resettling as he attempted to make himself a bit more comfortable. The coat shielded his knees from the hard dirt of the arena, which he was glad for, and as he unconsciously shifted backwards, Light's cock slid the slightest fraction deeper inside of him, making him groan as it shot a bolt of pure pleasure through him.

Light's claws gripped his hips tightly, so hard that blood trickled from the wounds and the pain only set L's arousal spiking, causing him to let out a hiss and thrust backwards in an attempt to feel that again, claws rending the earth underneath him and fangs digging into his lips. The action made Light's cock jerk and twitch within him, the subtle movement against his sensitive inner walls making him dig his fangs deeply into his lip to suppress a deep-throated groan of pure pleasure.

He was just making to thrust backwards again before he froze as growling, Light forced L's hips to a standstill. Before he could try anything like that again Light leant down to hiss into L's ear, "Doing that makes me want to fuck you raw…" It was both a promise and a threat, one that L secretly thrilled at, thoughts of Light pounding into him, truly taking him and feeding him more of that delicious euphoria making him shudder and unconsciously clench around Light's cock.

"Then do it," L groaned back, a spark of defiance and challenge alighting in his eyes. He tentatively pushed his hips back, forcing Light's length deeper inside of him, making the golden wind dragon suck in an involuntary breath at the jolt of ecstasy that fizzled through him at the sudden increase of tight heat surrounding him. And then, L's words hit him, the implications behind such words becoming clear to him.

Growling, his hands went right to L's waist and claws dug in painfully deep as Light drew his hips back and thrust back into L's tight, hot body. L screamed in a mix of slight pain and overwhelming pleasure at the sudden action, but the sound only egged Light on, inviting him to repeat the action, sliding smoothly out and seating himself back in deeply, over and over again.

L's muscles rippled around him, making his eyes slip shut and head fall back in bliss as he relentlessly took L, offering no reprieve from his punishing thrusts as he pumped himself into L's hot body.

It was a pleasure that was mixed with physical euphoria at the feel of the black dragon wrapped tightly around his cock, and the mental thrill his instincts got as he asserted his dominance over the dragon he had subconsciously been wanting to have for so long, finally claiming the elusive, challenging dragon after all these years. This was a pleasure only he would ever experience, and if the thought made Light snarl in possessiveness and grip L's waist a bit tighter, thrust a bit more harshly into the all-too willing body, L certainly didn't complain.

He couldn't when he was consumed by the feel of Light, hot and hard and throbbing, filling him up to the brim over and over again, stretching him and hitting his prostate, making him absolutely _burn_ in euphoric pleasure. His head felt too heavy; he rested his forehead on the ground, not noticing the dirt sticking to his sweaty skin as he panted, eyes shut tightly as his body shuddered under the punishing, utterly euphoric barrage of thrusts his body was receiving from Light.

It was all he could do to grip the earth under him desperately with his claws, gouging deep furrows into the ground, hanging on for dear life as he was forced to withstand every one of Light's slick, harsh movements in and out of his body.

The constant stretch burned, but the pain only twisted itself, warping into ecstasy, singing through his veins. His inner dragon delighted at the addition of pain, twisting inside of his mind in euphoria. A choked cry was ripped harshly from his throat as Light delivered an especially harsh thrust, rocking him forwards. It felt so good that L, no longer in his right mind, could hardly help the breathy moan of "Please" as he gathered enough strength to brace the palms of his hands harder into the ground and push his body back, craving more of the rougher, harsher thrusts.

He felt Light's hot breath fan over his neck, sharp fangs nipping at the tip of a black-tinged ear as he chuckled. "Crying out already? Your begging is music to my ears," Light murmured, and L could feel the curve of a smile twisting Light's lips.

It would seem as if everything Light did was to mock and provoke him, and this nettled L. Eyes sliding open, they bled to an even darker obsidian in anger as he turned his head, resting his cheek upon the ground to glare at Light through jagged, ink-black bangs. There was the hint of an angered challenge burning in those black eyes, and the sight of that defiance as Light met and held L's gaze was tantalizing, arousing him even more than he thought he could possibly be, finally buried within the molten core of L's being.

Pale lips parted and a pink tongue came out to lick L's dry lips, coating them in an alluring sheen of saliva that Light had the sudden burning desire to taste. "Not… a chance. If this… is all you have… I'm quite disappointed…" L taunted, forcing the words out in between the thrusts that still ravaged and rocked his body upon the ground.

Cinnamon eyes darkening with arousal and narrowing into determined slits, Light suddenly flashed a hand forwards from L's waist to bury it into the thick mess of jet-black spikes, tangling his fingers in the silken strands. His other hand wrapped around L's waist, and together, they forced L up, onto his knees. Light made no attempt to hold L up, and as weak as his body was from the burning pleasure that had been slowly and methodically burning him up, he was unable to raise himself. Instead, gravity pushed him down, making him rest fully on Light's lap, back of his thighs pressed against the top of Light's.

The sudden change in angle forced L further down on his cock, making his body take all of the hard length, accepting Light until he was buried fully, all the way to the hilt. It was further than Light had gotten before and the sheer intenseness of it, as the new angle propelled Light's cock into new and better parts of him left L almost blinded in pleasure. And then, suddenly, long, clawed fingers wrapped tightly around L's sharp hips and Light pulled him up, only to push him back down, allowing the force of gravity to assist him.

"Light-!" A choked gasp left L's throat as he was seated back quite firmly and harshly onto Light's length, making Light bare his fangs in a pleased grin. It only widened as L began to take the initiative, forcing himself up onto raised knees and slamming himself back down, back arching and clawed hands scrabbling backwards to clutch at Light's shoulders in an effort to ground himself.

Oh, this was so much better, Light had to admit, eyelids slipping closed as he was repeatedly taken into L's body over and over again. More of the black dragon's pale skin was pressed against his, and the feeling of hot, slick skin pressed against his and the feel of toned, lithe muscles flexing and twitching as L took him in again and again was unbearably good.

"God…" Light groaned, not able to help it. "You're so _tight_… you feel so good…" L's breath hitched at Light's words, inner muscles clamping down firmly against Light's erection. The resulting sudden tightness sent a hot flash of burning arousal through Light, making him snarl and bury his face into L's thicket of black spikes, deeply inhaling the dragon's scent, now mingled with sweat and the earthy smell of sex.

His hands left L's hips to roam over the lithely muscled body, stroking and scratching finely over a taut, quivering belly, a defined ribcage, plucking at hardened nipples. L jerked slightly every time his claws nicked his skin, and Light knew that the black dragon was getting off on the pain as much as he was on the length buried deep within him, sliding slickly in and out.

Smirking, Light lifted his face from L's hair to lean his head forwards. He was unable to see L's face in this position, and he was suddenly struck by a strong urge to see it. He wanted to see what that lovely face would look like, when that emotionless mask was gone and his features were left bare and open, twisted with pleasure.

Trailing one of his hands up, Light grasped L's pointed chin and turned his face around, so that Light could directly see it. L's thin black brows were furrowed, plea lips parted to allow harsh breaths in and out of his lungs. A thin sheen of sweat covered his lovely features, shown in an alluring mask of ecstasy, and strands of hair clung to his high cheekbones and temples. Transfixed by the erotic sight of Lwei's face twisted in consuming pleasure, his eyes flashed briefly downwards when he saw L's pink tongue come out to once more wet his lips, leaving behind a coating of saliva. Once again, Light was struck by the overwhelming urge to taste those lips.

And this time, with nothing holding him back, he did.

Growling, he held L's chin firmly as he pressed his lips harshly against L's forcing his mouth open and immediately dominating L's mouth with swift strokes and jabs of his tongue, nipping with sharp fangs and nicking L's lips. That mouth tasted heavenly, felt as hot as the other orifice Light was currently buried in. There was something so erotic, so arousing about dominating both L's mouth and body, and something snapped within Light as he let loose a snarl, pushing his hips upwards and speeding up the pace of his thrusting hips. The blaze that had been burning through his veins, throbbing in the core of his groin was starting to become hotter, the friction upon his cock only making it grow with each stroke.

It was odd, L had time to think hazily, as he felt his chin grasped and sinfully hot, smooth lips press consolingly against his own, that his first kiss would come while engaging in a much more intimate act. It was hard to think clearly- though really, he had no need to at the moment- with Light's mouth devouring his and heated length thrusting inside of him, sending ripples of pleasure through him with every movement. And yet, he was able to contemplate the oddness of their situation, how this had hall occurred, and the order it had done so in.

It was backwards, seemingly done all out of order- at least, from what he had heard. He hadn't known much about these things, was always more concerned with his training and assuming that once he had matured, he would then have time to go about discovering these things and learning about them eventually.

The order seemed off, and yet…right. He and Light were unscripted; being the only two wind dragons in the park had allowed them to remain free of any expectations from other dragons of their element.

With them, there had been no courtship, no gentle pursuing that led to a mock-fight and eventual consummation of their partnership. It had been violent, bloody, and had culminated into this blazing act of passion, of rough sex and challenging posturing throughout the ordeal. There had been no tenderness; they had behaved as befitting true dragons, and that, in itself, was pleasing to L.

Groaning, he broke the kiss with Light, licking his swollen, nicked lips as he tossed his head back upon Light's shoulder, thrusting his hips back in a silent demand for more. The tight, coiling heat was getting worse within him, building and building, and L was consumed with a desperate desire to finally have it burst, for he felt he couldn't stand this much longer. It must have shocked Light, that it was only now that he was truly accepting what he was happening and actively seeking more, but Light did not issue any protest.

His only response was to release L's hair, renewing the pumping of his hips with renewed fervor. L writhed upon his thighs, small gasps and cries sounding like music to Light's ears. The cries of his name mixed in with the occasional curse was one of the most alluring things Light had ever heard and he listened eagerly as L unconsciously voiced the pleasure that was methodically burning him up. He was starting to become consumed by the euphoria streaking through his body, a knot of tension curling slowly within his stomach, threatening to burst and spill. It only grew tighter when one of Light's warm hands came down to wrap tightly around his leaking, neglected length, immediately stroking and caressing the slick skin.

He moaned, length twitching within Light's hand, unable to help it as Light seated himself deeply within him over and over again, driving his body to his limits and causing the burning knot of ecstasy to blaze hotter and curl tighter within his groin. The combined pleasures threatened to throw him over the edge, and when Light subtly shifted the angle of his hips to connect roughly with L's prostate dead-on, it was over.

His body snapped taut, eyes shut tightly and a high scream issuing fort as the heated coil within his groin finally burst, sending waves of ecstasy washing over his body. His length jerked, hot fluid spilling over Light's stroking, caressing hand. L's body spasmed around Light, caught within a whirlwind of pleasure, he was obvious to the way Light's clawed fingers tore painfully into his skin as the rippling of L's internal muscles forced his own release, thrusting harshly into the hot passage, riding out his orgasm and burying his fangs into L's smooth, white shoulder to stifle his own exclamation of release.

When he finally regained his right mind, starting to come down from the high of orgasm, L sighed, feeling his thighs begin to tremble and body quiver as the adrenaline and pleasurable haze were no longer there to hold him up. He started to sway, feeling himself fall forwards and he allowed it, wanted nothing more than to lay his weary, battered body down and rest.

Collapsing forwards, L closed his eyes, feeling boneless and disturbingly weak, even as little aftershocks of pleasure shot through him, making him tremble. Above him, where they were still connected, he could feel Light shudder violently and fall forwards, catching himself just in time before he crashed on top of the black dragon. Gently, he lowered himself onto the ground on top of his two-tailed coat, spooning L's still-trembling form. He draped an arm, and then a golden wing over L's waist, pads of his fingers rubbing soothing circles into the white skin, by now heavily smeared and stained with sticky blood and burning painfully from the claw-wounds.

L's whole body ached, from the small of his back, to his toes, and up the rest of his body from the harsh pummeling his body had taken before and after the sex. But it was a good kind of ache, a fulfilling one that accompanied a lazy sort of contentment flowing through him. He could still feel Light seated within him, feel the fullness of Light's release remaining inside of him and dribbling out to wet his inner thighs, but it seemed rather unimportant at the moment. The fullness actually felt nice, in a way and L was reluctant to move and have this peace interrupted.

Light's fingers were also soothing upon his torn, marked skin, and he let his head drop to the ground, eyelids falling to half-mast underneath the jagged sweeps of bangs that fell across his eyes, obscuring his sight. Light's fingers tentatively wove their way into his thicket of hair, claws scratching gently across his scalp and he let out a content sigh.

"If you fall asleep here, I will be reluctant to move you. And then, they will discover us in the morning," Light's soft, smoky voice came, whispering into his ear.

In response, his black-tinged ear twitched and he huffed a small sigh, wriggling backwards to press more closely to Light. The other dragon let out a small growl and the grip around his waist tightened, pulling him backwards, forcing Light's softened length to shift inside of him.

L was tempted to simply say that they could look all they wished, but the reclusive, introverted part of him balked away heavily from that. To allow others to see him in such a state… he shied away from he thought and his fingers twitched, eager to get up now and get dressed, hide away in his habitat and go over what had happened, analyze what would happen now in his mind.

Having a partner complicated things, would complicate things in the future. He wasn't sure he was ready for this, and suddenly, a sense of unease overtook his mind. What would this entail? He had only matured not only a few hours before, and in a way, still felt so very childish and a small part of him berated himself for falling in so easily with Light, jumping in before he had a chance to recover from the transformation and gain his bearings.

He bit his lip, suddenly unsure.

Light must have sensed this unease, however, and a clawed finger came to rest gently under his chin, tilting it backwards and up. His eyes met Light's, and the reassurance he saw in the warm cinnamon depths was comforting.

Light would know what to do. L himself was independent and self-reliant; he always been, but somehow, the thought that Light would know how to handle this new complication reassured him greatly. As if reading his thoughts, Light offered a small smile, just the barest quirk of his lips upwards.

"We'll figure this out as we go, L," Light reassured him, flexing his arm and bringing the other dragon closer, tilting his head down to swipe his tongue across a small wound in L's shoulder, still bleeding sluggishly. He then moved onto another one, soft, warm tongue sliding over his skin, though there was no apology behind the gentle action. L had thoroughly enjoyed what had occurred, had reveled in the bites and scrapes, and there was no way that Light was going to apologize for that.

However, he was also to going to leave L looking like a bloody mess that had just went through a meat grinder- though he admitted that the deep crimson of L's blood looked lovely against paper-white skin, Light admitted to himself as he savored the metallic taste of his new partner's blood. He could feel L sigh, shift- felt cold air on his length as it slipped out of L's body- and then L was facing him, silky black hair trailing over his skin in shiver-inducing brushes as L returned the favor. His tongue lapped over Light's skin in a mimickry of what he himself was doing, and then felt smooth, warm skin sliding over his as L's sleek black wings stretched to settle over his.

It was soothingly peaceful here, grooming each other and tending to their wounds in the aftermath of such rough passion and L allowed the calmness to settle over him, enjoying the feel of Light's tongue on his skin and warm fingers trailing over his body gently.

It was tempting to fall asleep here, but thoughts of the scene Linda and the other in-training dragons would walk in on in the morning was disturbing. And as much as he enjoyed lying here with Light, there was an urge to get away and be alone, to ponder what had happened and recuperate alone.

His sense of restlessness must have been picked up on, for moments later, Light paused in his cleaning to raise his head and regard L with inscrutable cinnamon eyes. His gaze swept L's face, seeing the tenseness, the insecurity and indecision in his eyes.

There was a moment of silence, and then Light's eyes turned understanding- their connection was not one that silly humans concocted in their fantasies. He could not sense L's emotions, nor read his mind. But he did, in a more primal way, understand L himself, and could see that this situation was overwhelming. If he had been in L's position, he would be as well.

Sighing, Light reached up to brush some of L's ink-black hair away from his face, peering into obsidian black eyes, somewhat clouded with exhaustion, yet keen and most definitely alert. L was waiting, having sensed that Light was going to do something.

And he did.

Caramel-colored eyebrows furrowing, Light asked, with tentativeness, "L… are you… alright?"

He knew that L had been somewhat coerced ito this- instincts were notoriously hard to override once they came into play, and L had not really been in his right mind when Light had made his suit known.

Surprisingly, though, L only gave a short nod. He was not about to express any sort of misgiving- going back and doing so was something that he regarded as a weakness, and he was aware that this had been partly his fault. At the first feeling f unease, he could have politely excused himself, going back to his own habitat before Light could fully make his suit known.

But he had chosen to stay, and that was his own decision, one that had led to their current situation. He was just as invested in this as Light was, and could not wholly blame the amber dragon himself.

Eyebrows drawn together, L quietly said, much to Light's apparent surprise, "I think so, yes." Looking up, L's eyes narrowed and he then continued, "But I cannot help but wonder… why, Light? Why me?" he questioned with some measure of fervency. "You had your pick of any other dragon here, and I understand that we share the same element, but… you had to have been asked to partner with me at some point. I know that King Watari wants another wind dragon, and we shall be able to provide that, but… you were resistant for so long! What made you change your mind?"

Light was silent for a moment, before he spoke. And when he did, his words were quite and inquisitive, so much different than his insistent, almost aggressive nature that he had shown before they had had sex. The change, this almost weirdly gentle side of Light was very odd to L, but somehow, he did not think it displeasing. He actually, in the back of his mind, admitted that he liked that Light was so versatile. L liked the dominating, rough side to Light, and then the gentle side that was able to soothe the hurts in the aftermath as well.

"…Do you remember the day you hatched?" Light quietly asked, though his voice was still intense, needing an answer.

"What?: L asked, taken aback. However, he recollected himself, tail twitching and wings shifting slightly, sliding across Light's in a distinctly pleasant manner as he thoughtfully said, "I… suppose…"

Dragon hatchlings were more mature than human babies, and many could remember most of their life, from the first moment they hatched. L was no exception to this, and had a hazy recollection of opening his eyes and seeing the dragons gathered- though for some inexplicable reason, Light's form, with his distinct two-tailed amber coat stood out in his mind the most.

Nodding, Light pulled L closer, threading a hand through ink-black locks, marveling at the silkiness of it, running it through his fingers as if it were silk he was considering purchasing. He was certain, though, that even the finest silk could not hold a candle to the feeling of L's hair wrapped in his fingers. L gave a small sort of pleased huff at the action and it spurred Light on as he haltingly said, almost reminiscing, "That day… you must have heard about it. You were… you didn't respond to any of the elements that you were exposed to," Light told him, staring into the black eyes that he had come to find so lovely, so very captivating.

"You didn't respond to any of the magic in Roger's wand, even the wind magic, which should have worked, as that is your element. And you didn't respond to any of the other dragons, either. You… I was the only one you ever responded to, L. I was the one to wake you, and it's funny…" Light trailed off, suddenly reluctant to say any more. He unconsciously shifted in unease, his still-slick skin sliding over L's, thigh slipping in between the black dragon's to rest comfortably there.

Somewhat irked at Lights' abrupt end, L prompted him to go on with an inquisitive, "What?"

Looking down, Light's eyes narrowed in thought as he continued, "The moment I touched you… there was this odd feeling that took hold of me. It didn't last very long, but… I dismissed it at first. I thought it wasn't important. But I think now… maybe… it was telling me that… this was what we were meant to be." Light's words were hesitant as he voiced his thoughts, winding inwardly as he thought to himself that his words were almost sickeningly sappy.

Apparently, L thought so as well."…That sounds like some drivel that a teenaged female human would come up with, Light," L informed him, a finely-arched eyebrow quirking.

"Does it? I was afraid so," Light sighed, wincing at the- admittedly- sappy words. H had been right. He was, apparently, also simply not cut out for these sort of admissions. Curse it all.

However, Light's previously squashed pride was given a second chance at life as L shifted, eyelids falling to half-mast in thought. He nibbled on an attractively-bruised lip as he quietly said, "However… I believe you, Light." The amber dragon's eyes widened at this shocking revelation, for he thought that L would dismiss his words as utter, sappy tripe. "There is a connection between us- perhaps it was our elements?" L mused, eyes rolling up in thought. "I'm not sure about fate, Light, but…"

L blinked, his eyes rolling downwards once more. Light waited for him to finish, but the black dragon remained silent, staying still for a moment more before he shifted. His wing pulled away from Light, black tail untwining from an amber one, his whole body moving away from Light's, leaving Light feeling suddenly bereft and missing the other's warm presence.

It prompted him to sit up as well, rolling his sore shoulders, watching keenly and admiring the black dragon's form as L rose to his feet, muscles flexing lithely, tail and wings contrasting sharply against pale, almost glimmering skin in a way Light found to be quite beautiful.

But then again, everything about L was lovely, from his form, to his features, to his draconic traits and the way he moved. His eyes remained locked upon L's form, and remained so even as L turned to Light, black eyes suddenly clouded with indecision.

"Light…" L murmured. "I can't say what will happen from here. This is all so much to deal with, so suddenly. I can't deny what happened, or that there is a connection between us. But… I need time to think- can you give me that much?"

L's eyes were still confused, still a bit lost, and unable to begrudge L what he asked, Light nodded, watching as L's tense expression bled to one of relief, and he moved to find the remains of his clothes, hastily pulling his shirt and trousers on, snagging his boots and cheery red scarf, turning to leave.

However, he paused right before he passed Light, looking down at the silent amber dragon.

Indecision flitted briefly through his eyes as he bit his lip, obviously struggling with some sort of internal debate. However, before Light had a chance to enquire what the problem was, L swiftly leant down and brushed his lips against Light's- his lips tasted of the sweet strawberries that grew upon the high mountains, and of L's own dark, addicting flavor.

But just as suddenly as the contact had come, it was gone, and Light was left to watch L swiftly make his way out of the arena, moving with an admirable grace even though it was a bit stiff, L no doubt more than a bit sore from their previous actions.

Sighing, Light leaned back, his head bowing as he was left utterly alone-

But then, something gleaming caught his eye and he looked up, eyes narrowing as he saw what, exactly, had caught his attention. Swiftly standing to his feet, Light made his way over to the object and picked it up, eyebrows drawing together as he examined it.

L's goggles and flight helmet.

He had forgotten them, it would appear.

And yet, even as he examined them, a small smirk slid over his face and he chuckled.

L would no doubt be wanting these back.

And if he did…

He'd have to see Light.

Pleased with the added assurance of facing L once again, Light swiftly went about gathering his clothes and dressing, slipping the two forgotten items of L's into his coat pocket after he had donned it.

It would not do to lose those.

They were L-bait, after all.

* * *

"L?"

Stopping, L turned, quirking an eyebrow and ignoring the shock flitting across the water dragon's face.

The sight of him sans his goggles and flight helmet, his face and eyes bared for everyone to see for the first time was no doubt a shocking sight, L thought with a small prickle of irritation, but it didn't mean they had to _stare_.

Regarding the dragon coolly from underneath ink-black jags of bangs, L resisted the urge to flick his tail in the universal sign of annoyance and impatience. "Yes?" he asked finally, seeing as the other dragon was still in somewhat of a stupor.

Realizing that he was staring, the dragon, Almore the Winged blinked and then jolted, dragonfly-esque wings fluttering in nervousness. "L… you have… your helmet and goggles are gone!" he exclaimed, and now that he was recovering, his eyes swept over the dragon's pale features, a glint of appreciation sparking in his lake-blue eyes.

"Yes. That appears quite obvious," L replied, though he strove to keep his voice level and not display the irritation that threatened to inject his voice. Without his concealing goggles and flight helmet, he felt… bare, naked, exposed for all the world to see. He felt almost defenseless without them, as if everyone could see what he was feeling and thinking written clearly upon his face.

However, he tamped down the panic that was threatening to well in his throat and repressed the urge to tuck his wings in closer to his shoulders in nervousness as Almore finally spoke. "I've heard… it's been rumored that you are, in fact, mixable?"

Of course, it would have to be this, L thought with a sense of seething irritation, though he was careful not to let that bleed out onto his face for the water dragon to see.

Dragons could be such vultures on the matter of mixable partners sometimes.

Worse than vultures, in fact.

But he was not a piece of dead meat to be fought over by aforementioned vultures.

"For once, the rumors are indeed, correct," L informed Almore, crossing his arms, eyes narrowing just the infinitesimal fraction. He could feel his face tightening, and for once, he couldn't be bothered. This dragon was irritating! Light had already-

Blinking, L's eyes widened as he realized that the main source of irritation was not Almore himself. If it were any other day, if he had not already succumbed to Light, he would have simply brushed the annoyance away and went on his way.

No…

The source of his irritation was in the fact that he _was_ already partnered, already claimed. And being thus, he was not in the mood to have designs made upon him. But… the only way to counter such a thing happening was to… actually make it known that he was Light's.

Almore, however, did not seem to notice L's inattention to him, and pressing a bit closer, said, "If the rumors are true, then…" Hope sparkled in the dragon's blue eyes, eagerness at being the first one to confront the newly-matured and confirmed-to-be-mixable dragon.

At the sudden invasion of his space, L's attention returned to the water dragon, eyes widening even further as the water dragon's wings fluttered and tail flicked in an undeniable sign of flirtation and interest.

However, just as L was about to turn tail and run, for he didn't know how to deal with this new turn of events, his eyes caught a flash of a distinct amber-colored, two-tailed coat. Flicking his eyes slightly to the side, L suddenly noticed the crowd that had gathered- apparently, the unprecedented sight of his unmasked visage and Almore's advances, combined with the conversation keen draconic ears must have picked up had drawn a crowd of combined humans and dragons, all curious as to what was going on.

And a certain dragon that L had gotten to know very intimately as of last night was in that crowd as well, obviously having overheard Almore's advances. And if the way the wind that always seemed to hold him in his grasp seemed harsher than before the lines of his body taut and tense as his eyes narrowed at L, he was not pleased about his partner being pursued.

And less than pleased that his partner was doing nothing to rebuff that pursuer.

But he couldn't deny that seeing Light so subtly possessive was somewhat- extremely- attractive, as if he were itching to stake his claim, but understanding how L worked well enough to know that he would resent Light being so openly possessive. If their partnership was to be made public, L would allow it only on his own terms, in the way that he found most suitable.

And Light understood that.

That level of understanding pleased him, and the angry possessiveness he saw in Light's cinnamon gaze and stance had his inner dragon purring in pleasure. Something undefinable slithered its way into L's being at that, settling into his heart and he blinked, examining the feeling. It was almost... almost…

…Was this what Light was talking about?

The… the _feeling_ he had mentioned?

It was undefinable. It wasn't love, he knew. But it was something, a feeling stronger and almost more solid than that. It was hard to grasp, as subtle as it was, but it was there, and it was certainly caused by Light. It put all of his fears about what his future held for him at rest, sending a sort of calmness through him, almost reassuring in a way.

Light…

There was no possible way to deny it now. Whatever he had thought, whatever he had feared… it was all gone now. And… it was time to end this ridiculous façade. He had been scared, he admitted with great reluctance and a mental grimace. He hadn't wanted to acknowledge Light's and his partnership because… he had feared the aftermath. The public eyes, the expectations…

All of the things he hadn't wanted, he had also feared.

And that fear, now, angered him. He had been pathetic, last night, he knew, sniveling and nearly complain about what he would have to do in the future. That was unlike him, disturbingly unlike him. But Light… somehow, his actions had led him to realize this, and L was fed up with hiding. He still disliked crowds. He still disliked the general staring and commotion made about his status as a wind dragon. He still disliked being bound in such a way to the park.

But most of all…

He disliked running from his fears and dislikes.

It was a bit of a catch-22 if one asked him, but..

He digressed.

Returning his attention to Almore, L was able to school his features into a mask of apathy one more, though he felt a certain satisfaction shoot through him at what he was about to do. It was time to put his fears at rest and finally ground himself. For once, he would be living up to his lineage and his title, Lawliet the Turbulent, and face the heavy winds that had rocked his life.

Being mixable, being matured so suddenly and partnered to Light even faster had certainly shook the foundations of his life. But perhaps by standing and facing that, admitting his connection to Light, braving the public eye and the attention, he would be able to steady those same foundations.

And… with Light as his side as an anchor, perhaps… perhaps it would not be so bad.

"Yes…" L murmured, before looking up and meeting Almore's blue eyes once more, feeling intense cinnamon eyes staring into his back. He had to resist a smile at that- Light knew not what he was playing at, what he was going to say and L's inner dragon was pleased at holding his partner in such suspense.

Dragons lived for games such as this. And he was no exception, except for the fact that his games were a bit more sadistic than other's.

Clearing his throat, L crossed his arms and lowering his head, regarded Almore with an open, black gaze. Transfixed by the sight of stormy grey and gleaming black eyes, Almore simply stared, listening as L said, with just an almost-missed hint of amusement, "The rumor mills are correct in the information they are churning out. But they are," L sighed, "sadly, not up-to date."

Almore's blue eyebrows furrowed at this, light blue hair  
brushing his shoulders as he tilted his head to the side in confusion at L's cryptic words. "What do you mean?" Almore asked with a hint of bemusement lacing his words.

L stared silently at Almore for the briefest second, before he turned away. "I'm afraid…" L murmured, turning to glance over his shoulder, "that I've already found a suitable partner."

Almore's gasp of shock- for who could have gotten to L so very fast?!- went unheeded by L, who languidly made his way away from Almore and closer to a certain amber dragon that had been straing metaphorical holes into his back for the past few minutes. Lips twitching upwards into the barest ghost of a smile, L uttered one words as he drew closer.

"Light."

At the sound of his name, the wind dragon visibly jerked, cinnamon eyes widened at being addressed so directly by the black dragon. Turning slightly, black eyes locked with his, and a thrill of excitement ran down Light's spine, making his wings prickle in delight upon seeing the unmistakable glint of mischievousness in those lovely obsidian eyes.

He cocked his head, silently communicating that he had heard and acknowledged his name being called.

But instead of responding, L simply stopped in front of him, ignoring the weight of curious, shocked stares to cock his head at the dragon. A small amount of humor shone in the eyes that had captivated Light so thoroughly, and he waited to hear what L had to say in a slight measure of anticipation.

"I believe you have something of mine. Two somethings, in actuality."

Light blinked once in confusion at L's words, and then his confusion bled away to a pleased smirk, his lids falling to half-mast as he appraised L's form with smoldering cinnamon eyes.

Oh, L's game.

It was so deliciously teasing, to have led Light on like that, keep him in suspense. For he truly did not know if L would deny being partnered to Light, refute their connection. It was almost cruel, and yet…

Well. Light was not adverse to a bit of malicious teasing. It just made this all the more intriguing.

Silently, Light reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out the pair of discarded goggles and flight helmet that L had accidentally left behind the previous night. He proffered them, dangling on a red claw, to L with a quirked, questioning eyebrow and a small tilt to his lips.

The crowd, as a whole, reeled back in shock. For the fact that Light, of all dragons, had Lawliet the Turbulent's goggles and flight helmet could only mean one thing.

He had gotten close enough to L to take them and keep them. Which indicated a level of intimacy no other dragon possessed.

And therefore…

It was undeniable that they were partnered. There was no doubt left in any of the watching human and dragons' mind that Lawliet the Turbulent and Light the Bravehearted had partnered.

And any nuance of lingering doubt was firmly banished and erased when L took the goggles and flight helmet very calmly, tucked them into the pouch hanging at his belt, and then up, meeting Light's eyes. There was a split second of tension lingering in the air, and then Light flashed a hand forwards, snagging a claw in L's bright red, cheery scarf. With a swift jerk, Light reeled the black wind dragon in, forcing their bodies to collide and lips to meet in a heated kiss.

In the middle of all the watchers, L threw away his societal unease, and Light tossed his unpartnerable status out the window. Tails entwined, fingers tangled in hair, and lips clashed, sealing their partnership and simultaneously staking their claim on each other in front of the whole population of King Watari's park.

And in the small part of his mind not consumed and writhing with pleasure at the feel of Light's hair sliding across his fingers, his alluring taste and consuming, heated lips upon his own, he thought about the future and what it would herald.

He didn't know what would happen from here. No doubt, King Watari, now that he knew they were partnered, would be pressuring them to mix, to produce an egg that would no doubt hatch into a wind dragon, such as they were. It was something he had been desiring for most of his life, and though King Watari was a kind, benevolent ruler, he could also be quite ruthless and impatient when it came to things such as this.

But this… this was their story. Dragons were notoriously stubborn creatures- Light himself had proven that time and time again, and it there was little doubt that L would show to be the same in the end.

So if Watari wanted a hatchling, he could very damn well wait.

This was their time, their life, their story, and if they wanted to get used to this new kink that had been thrown into their lives- and each other, if L were to be honest- then they would do it.

And nothing could stop them.

After all…

Light smirked very lightly into the kiss, pulling L closer to wrap an arm around his partner's trim waist, palming it possessively and appreciatively with clawed hands.

Dragons always got what they wanted.

Light the Bravehearted was proof of that. ,

* * *

…I really, really, _really_ fucking fail. This is what comes of me playing a stupid children's game. I'm just… I'm done. I'm done. My life is a failure. I am a failure. Fuck.

…If you need me, I have moved from my corner to hang myself on that lovely little tree over there. *points*


End file.
